Hess on football mishap and wrapping up 14-2 loss

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Rookie David Hess will make his start on Saturday night against the Rays, with only a slight discoloration in the corner of his left eye. He let a football smack him in the face, but he caught a break.

Hess is taking anti-inflammatory drops for his eye, but he's fine except for the kidding that comes from such a mishap. He has to wear it - and an LSU football helmet, which he donned early in the game while watching from the dugout.

"I could not entirely tell you where the LSU helmet came from," he said after tonight's 14-2 loss. "It appeared in the second inning and I was told to wear it, so I wore it."

The thrown ball nailed Hess as he ran toward the warning track in left field. He motioned with a thumbs-up that he wasn't hurt, but they eye immediately began to swell.

"That's just going out there and having some fun," he said. "Obviously, something went wrong, so it's good to go. Just fortunate and it's something that we're going to try not let happen again.

"For me immediately, I was just trying to make sure I could see. And once I could see, I knew I was OK, so that was good. But definitely something I've got to be careful with going forward."

Chucking the pigskin is a common practice among baseball players, part of their pregame and spring training exercises.

"I think going out there and playing around, that's just a part of being an athlete," Hess said. "We want to go out and maybe toss around a football or a Frisbee or whatever. This is one of those times when kind of a freak accident happens, so I guess next time I've got to move my head or catch the ball."

The Orioles couldn't keep it in the park tonight, with the Rays hitting four home runs. Dylan Bundy served up two more to set the single-season club record of 37.

"It's command," said manager Buck Showalter. "You guys, I'm sure you see it. He's trying to go in and ball leaks out over the plate, he's trying to go away and jerks it middle in.

"I talked to him a little up the runway. I can only imagine his frustration. It's kind of like a power hitter, just can't get to it or put the ball in play. We've all seen how good he's capable of being. We've got to figure out why, because I know he's got a level of frustration that's tough to see."

And it's wearing on him.

"Of course. Everybody. It is," Showalter said.

"It takes a strong constitution and if I know Dylan somewhere along the line somebody's going to pay. You look at a guy who came out of high school, a lot of people tell you might be the best high school prospect they ever saw, throwing 96-100. And he can pitch with what he's capable of doing and we've seen it. He's just got to have command of the fastball and got to have some secondary pitches, but he got in trouble with the changeup and then a center-cut fastball."

Showalter isn't ready to yank Bundy from the rotation and shut him down.

"Not yet, not yet," he said. "It's one of those things you get your arms around and take it day to day. We've got some off-days and we're going to do what's best for Dylan and the Orioles and it's something that you consider with everybody this time of the year in our situation."

Asked to describe his frustration level, Bundy said it was "a 10 out of 10 for sure."

"Going through adversity is tough," he added, "but just got to keep my head up and keep working in between starts trying to get better and eventually I'll figure it out."

Tonight was more of the same from Bundy, who saw his ERA rise to 5.58.

"Since the second half," he said. "It really showed tonight. Really had no clue where the ball was going tonight and wasn't executing my pitches."

Bundy will continue to watch video, seek answers in his side sessions and continue to search for ways to improve.

"Mechanically I can't really find anything," he said. "I think I've got to get better executing pitches and throw the ball with a little bit more conviction."

This may be Bundy's toughest stretch that isn't related to an injury.

"Yeah, I think so," he said, "but I think in the end it will make me stronger and a better pitcher because of it. So, I've just got to keep working."

Bundy denied that the team's struggles have caused him to put more pressure on himself.

"I'm just trying to get better, not just for me but for the team also," he said. "That's all I can do really is try to get better for the team."

The Orioles have reached 100 losses for the third time in club history - also 1954 and 1988 - and it happened in their 141st game. That's the fastest since the 2003 Tigers needed only 134 games to hit the century mark.

"Nobody likes losing, especially that many games," said outfielder Joey Rickard, who provided all of the Orioles' scoring with a two-run homer in the sixth inning. "It definitely wears on you a little bit. We've got a good group of guys and we lean on each other and we continue to grind it out."

Bundy and four relievers combined to issue a season-high 11 walks. Two came from Luis Ortiz in his major league debut, two from Yefry Ramírez and one each from Sean Gilmartin and Ryan Meisinger. Bundy had five walks in four innings.

"Yeah, I don't care how inexperienced you are," Showalter said. "Certainly there are experienced people walking people, too. That's not something that obviously you can accept."

How does Showalter keep the young players moving forward and not allow the losing to break them?

"We give them opportunities," he said. "Some will take advantage of it and some may not right now. Just because it's delayed doesn't mean it's not going to happen.

"These guys, there's not another level to go to, so just want to see some guys take steps forward and not as many taken back."