Mancini hoping hot streak carries into home opener (O's down 8-4)

The Orioles lost five of their first six games last season and Trey Mancini stumbled hard out of the gate, making what's transpired in the first week this year the ultimate script flip.

Not as entertaining as a bat flip, but terribly important to Mancini.

"Winning two series on the road to start the year, especially with so many young guys on our team," Mancini said, savoring a 4-2 start. "I think 11 of the 25 on opening day hadn't experienced one before, so that's really cool. And I'm really proud of all the younger guys, the way they competed on the road.

"It was their first road experience and it was a hostile environment in New York, and they were not scared. They went out there and played just like it was any other game. Definitely happy to be home, though.

"I think it's important to get that experience and especially play in close games. Both of the games we won in New York, I think the tying or winning run might have been at the plate to end the game, so to come through with wins in that situation and not let that situation get bigger than yourself is huge, especially for the younger guys."

Mancini is 10-for-24 with a double, three home runs, eight RBIs and six runs scored. He's homered in three of the last four games, his three-run shot yesterday in the ninth inning throwing a scare into the Blue Jays.

Mancini's .417 average and 1.233 OPS rank fourth in the American League and, while early, contrast with a miserable first half to the 2018 season, when he slashed .216/.292/.363 in 91 games.

"It's been nice, for sure," he said. "But more than anything it was nice to get some hits with guys in scoring position and to get some important hits there to help us win. So that's really what I'm trying to do at the end of the day. It was good for that to happen in the first week."

Meanwhile, Chris Davis continues to search for his first hit after going 0-for-14 with an RBI, four walks and eight strikeouts on the trip.

"I'm starting to feel a little bit better," he said. "Felt like toward the end of spring training I was kind of getting some traction, and then we obviously had several days off and felt like the last couple of days have been a little bit better.

"I didn't realize I have only (14) at-bats. It feels like a lot more than that. But yeah, I know that a lot of people want me to get off to a good start. I wanted to get off to a good start, but I also realize it's a long season. I know that I'm going to be in there every day and I know that I'm going to be consistent in my work day in and day out and I know the results will be there."

The last three opening days have concluded with walk-off wins at Camden Yards. Adam Jones and Mark Trumbo hit home runs in 2018 and 2017, respectively, and Matt Wieters lined a single into center field in 2016 that scored Davis.

Can they make it four in a row at home?

"We'll see how the game unfolds," Mancini said.

"It would be fun if that happened again, but the chances of that happening four times in a row is slim, so hopefully, if we were to come out with a victory it wouldn't have to come to a walk-off. That's a great team over there and we played them already in three tough games, so really looking forward to today."

The Orioles would relish an easier day, given the effort required to register those four wins on the road.

"You would at any point," Mancini said, "but you can't guarantee anything, especially against these guys over there."

Update: Jonathan Villar hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning and James Paxton balked in a run and allowed another to score on a wild pitch for a 3-0 Orioles lead.

Update II: Gleyber Torres led off the top of the third with a home run to cut the lead to 3-1.

Update III: Dwight Smith Jr. doubled in the fifth and scored on Renato Núñez's single for a 4-1 lead.

Update IV: Gary Sânchez homered off Cobb with two outs in the sixth to reduce the lead to 4-2. Mike Wright replaced Cobb, who threw 87 pitches.

Update V: Wright surrendered a three-run homer to Torres in the sixth and the Yankees lead 5-4.

Update VI: Luke Voit hit a three-run homer off Miguel Castro in the ninth, with two runs charged to Mychal Givens, and the Yankees lead 8-4.