Hyde on Davis: "He really wanted to play today"

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde sought out Chris Davis after yesterday's loss to the Yankees and gauged whether the first baseman wanted to be included in tonight's lineup. Davis could have sat out the series opener against the Athletics, delaying a run at records no one wants to hold. He could have reached for his own reset button.

Davis is starting at first base tonight and batting sixth.

"He really wanted to play today," Hyde said.

Davis is 6-for-36 with three home runs, seven walks and 12 strikeouts lifetime against Marco Estrada, but other numbers consume fans and the media. He's hitless in 44 consecutive at-bats and 51 plate appearances dating back to last September.

"The way I make the lineup out is I look at all factors, look at all the numbers," Hyde said. "I know Marco Estrada well, saw him a lot in Milwaukee. I did look at past history a little bit and he's got a lot of at-bats against him. We don't have a ton of guys with a lot of experience, we don't have much history with a lot of people. But yeah, I put a lot of thought into it and Chris is in there."

The first four questions directed at Hyde in today's media session, and five of six, pertained to Davis. There's really no escaping it and Hyde is doing his best to be accommodating and get the point across that he remains supportive of Davis, who is two hits and six plate appearances away from tying the records for non-pitchers.

"I kind of went into it not knowing what to expect," Hyde said. "I was hoping he'd get off to a good start and was hoping that we'd have a good relationship and that he would play well early and hit and he just got off to a slow start. That's the nature of the game, that's the nature of this and so that's why he's talked about a lot."

Teammates have voiced their support of Davis as the booing at home increases in volume, peaking after Davis' third failed at-bat in Thursday's opener. Hyde also remains firmly in Davis' corner and is uncomfortable with the harsh receptions.

"I came from Chicago where, unbelievable fan base and really passionate about the team and the players and what's going on on a daily basis, like this fan base," he said. "That's what you want is a fan base that cares. Fans are welcome to handle situations the way they want to and unfortunately it's hard to listen to and it's hard to hear from me, to be honest with you, but I haven't been here in the past, either, so it's pretty fresh for me.

"I know some fans in Chicago handled some of our players that were going through tough times, so I've been aware and been around that kind of stuff before, but I'm pulling for him and I'm trying to put him in a position to have success. I talk to him a lot and he's up front with it. We talked a lot about that and we talked a lot about other situations, as well.

"I don't want to hide anything and I don't want to try to mask his struggles and what he went through last year, so we're taking this thing head-on and I appreciate that from him, too, that he's open to talk about things with me and now we are where we are and we're still talking about it a little bit, so I hope we can turn it around."

Davis is 0-for-23 with two RBIs, four walks and 13 strikeouts in 27 plate appearances. Only slivers of encouragement can be mined through the first two weeks, including deep counts, a few balls squared up and a couple of drives to left-center.

Luck continues to be a dry well for Davis, who smoked a one-hopper to Yankees first baseman Greg Bird Saturday night with the bases loaded. Bird gloved it and recorded the out.

Davis pinch-hit earlier in the game and was credited with his second RBI after Bird mishandled a softer ground ball and threw late to the plate.

"I thought those two at-bats he had that night were the best two at-bats he's taken all year," Hyde said. "I felt like the presence that he had in the box, the intent ... he was into the at-bat. We talked a little about that yesterday. And then he came up in another big situation and hit the ball right on the nose and he was into the at-bat, he was engaged. I just felt like there was a presence there that he came off the bench with some confidence that was awesome to see.

"We're hoping he can build off that. We'll wait and see."

Trips to the plate are gaining national attention now due to the hefty contract and records for futility that could be attached to him. Crowds keep venting. Hyde keeps sympathizing while also understanding.

"I think anytime you have your players struggle it's not easy to watch," Hyde said. "I want to see him have success. I want to see all our guys have success. You do your best as a coach to try to put guys in the right situation to help out mentally, physically, whatever you can. So when you see guys struggle, yeah, it's hard, it's not easy.

"One thing about Chris is I feel that inside our clubhouse he's taking this head-on and he is making every effort to ride this ship of tough times and trying to take good ABs every day and it hasn't happened. So yeah, I'm pulling for him, but this is a results business and I understand how the fans feel and I want to see him do well, too."

Here's the Athletics lineup for tonight's game:

Robbie Grossman LF
Matt Chapman 3B
Stephen Piscotty RF
Khris Davis DH
Kendrys Morales 1B
Marcus Semien SS
Jurickson Profar 2B
Mark Canha CF
Josh Phegley C

Marco Estrada RHP