Rogers works into the sixth in Orioles' 2-1 loss (updated)

SEATTLE - The rookie pitcher watched the rookie center fielder chase triples in the left-center field and right-center field gaps tonight, with the rookie designated hitter waiting for his next turn at the plate. The rookie starter-turned-reliever warmed in the bullpen before the rookie reliever-turned- starter switched back to his previous role and entered in the sixth inning.

There's nothing to see in the standings besides the Orioles strengthening their hold on the first draft pick next year. It's all about the kids, opportunities dispensed and whatever silver linings may form.

Left-hander Josh Rogers retired 10 of the first 11 batters before running into trouble in the middle innings, and the Orioles failed to generate much of an offensive push while losing to the Mariners 2-1 at chilly Safeco Field.

Jonathan Villar hit another home run for the Orioles, but they managed only three hits, remained winless on the road trip and fell to 40-98.

Making only his second major league start, Rogers surrendered two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings and absorbed his first loss. He actually had better numbers than in his victorious debut on Aug. 28, when he allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings.

Manager Buck Showalter removed Rogers after 80 pitches (50 strikes), five fewer than his debut amount.

Ryon Healy tied the game in the fourth with an RBI single and Cameron Maybin led off the fifth with a triple and scored on Dee Gordon's sacrifice fly for a 2-1 lead. Mitch Haniger also tripled with two outs.

Yefry Ramírez warmed as Rogers labored, but Jimmy Yacabonis got the call with one out in the sixth and struck out three batters in 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The lineup included rookie Chance Sisco as the designated hitter after the Orioles recalled him earlier in the day. Sisco was supposed to sit, but Trey Mancini moved to first base with Chris Davis scratched due to an illness.

Sisco had 14 hits in his last 45 at-bats with Triple-A Norfolk before the Orioles summoned him for a third stint with the club.

"Like all season, there's kind of been some ups and downs, but as of late things have been really well," Sisco said before grounding out twice and striking out.

"I'm feeling really well, so I'm ready to be back here and see how it translates here. Just working on refining a couple things. Some things that got away from me that I had done really good in the past that just kind of got away from me and I didn't really have a feel for it. So, just working on those things to get them refined, and happy to be back."

Sisco didn't offer up any specifics other than how he's been working with hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh and carried those lessons with him to Norfolk.

"Just some things in my swing that kind of got away from me without really knowing that I hadn't really had happen before, so you kind of go back and forth," he said. "Whenever you're struggling you're always trying to search something to fix, and I didn't really have the exact right plan for myself, I guess, to be able to fix it. I have it now and, hopefully, I'll be able to stick with that plan going forward.

"A lot of it was just going back to what me and Cooly were working on earlier in the season. Something that kind of got away from myself and just went right back to that, and once I got back to that and got into a routine with it, I felt really good again."

The Orioles have been offering resets to some of their struggling players this year. The usual approach is sitting out consecutive games, but for Sisco, it meant two trips to Norfolk. And not strictly because of a hitting slump.

"Like when I got sent down, things were said that (there were things) that would probably be easier for me to figure out in a different spot," he said. "So yeah, looking back on it, it was a nice little way for me to kind of reset myself and kind of learn some things about myself that I really didn't learn before. So, to be able to hit the reset button and work on those things and get it right was nice."

Sisco broke camp with the team and wore the tag as their catcher of the future while playing in the present. It wasn't a comfortable fit. But he can increase the confidence they hold in him with a solid final month, the amount of playing time to be determined.

The roster holds three catchers, and Showalter will want to give more starts to rookie Austin Wynns and also keep Caleb Joseph in the mix. Sisco is the lone left-handed hitter, which could work in his favor.

"Just embracing the opportunity," he said. "There's always an opportunity and I'm just happy to have the opportunity right now. Take what I can get and just come to the ballpark prepared and ready to work and try to take advantage of an opportunity."

Rogers is in the same boat, given a chance to make an impression that could carry into spring training.

Issuing back-to-back walks with one out in the fourth was bound to burn the rookie, and Healy followed with a game-tying single. Tim Beckham's relay nabbed Healy at second base and Rogers escaped with only one run allowed in a 20-pitch inning.

Maybin singled to lead off the third, the only runner to reach against Rogers before Robinson Canó walked in the fourth.

Rogers followed Maybin's triple in the fifth by striking out Mike Zunino on an 82 mph slider, but Gordon's fly ball to left field gave Seattle the lead. Rogers' fastball was sitting at 88 mph tonight.

Cedric Mullins and Joey Rickard couldn't catch up to Haniger's fly ball in left-center. Rickard played it off the fence and threw to second base as Haniger pulled into third.

Erasmo Ramírez held the Orioles to two hits through 5 1/3 innings, including Villar's second home run in two days. The ball hit the right field foul pole.

Ramírez retired 16 of the 18 batters he faced before left-hander Zach Duke replaced him in the sixth. Twenty-one of 24 batters were retired through the seventh, which Gordon extended by dropping Beckham's routine fly ball with two outs.

Sisco almost tied the game in the eighth, his long fly ball to right hooking foul. Rickard singled with one out, but Joseph grounded into a double play.

Villar saved a run from scoring off Miguel Castro in the bottom of the eighth by making a diving backhand stop behind second base and throwing out Healy with runners on the corners and two outs. The ball kicked off the mound and was headed to center field.

The Orioles ended the night with only four baserunners. They've scored eight runs in four games on the trip.

Update: Showalter confirmed that Andrew Cashner will start Wednesday night.

Showalter on Rogers: "I thought his secondary stuff was better. Roger (McDowell) and I were talking about it. You've got a little crispness in the air finally. Guys, pitchers especially, it kind of freshens up their arms. Yac's velocity was up a little bit from as a starter. He had three days off and I wanted to get him out there and not let him sit around too long.

"Josh was good. I love his presentation, his aggressiveness and the way he comes down the hill at people. But I thought his command was a lot better. Not so much command, but just his usefulness of some secondary pitches that he didn't show as much the first time."

Showalter on whether Rogers is on pitch count: "Not necessarily. He pitched well and we've got a certain number of innings, to some extent, that we're going to keep him, and he's not far from that. And I wanted to get him out of there on a positive note. He had pitched well and I thought Yac needed to pitch tonight."

Showalter on defense: "I'll tell you, (Renato) Núñez made a really nice backhanded play that looked routine that I'm not sure he would have made when he first got here. That's something that we've been hammering everybody about and preaching. It's something we've got to get back to. We've got to get better defensively, and regardless of where it takes us.

"You see the work that goes on every day in the infield and outfield and John (Russell) with the catchers. We're going to try to make ourselves as good as we can be. But we didn't do anything offensive. We had a home run and that's it."

Showalter on whether he's optimistic about defense: "Well, I can tell you one thing, the emphasis and the attention to it has always been there, but I think there's adjustments sometimes when you get players ... I'm not going to reflect on the way things are done somewhere else, but that's who we've got to be. And it's something that I and we stressed when we first started this, and it's something that, until we get that part ... there's a lot of things we've got to figure out, and that's one of them."

Showalter on why Orioles aren't scoring: "It's kind of frustrating that we're facing a guy tonight that's had his issues and we've been making a lot of pitchers look good here lately. We're just not swinging the bats very well and getting in a lot of counts behind and swinging at a lot of pitches out of the zone, uncharacteristically."

Rogers on how this start was better: "I was pretty calm the whole time. I was real comfortable out there today, all leading up to this start. No real crazy surprises. That's a really good lineup they've got over there, but I was pretty confident the whole time, and fastball was pretty good early and established it to both sides of the plate."

Rogers on whether nerves are gone: "Yeah, to be honest I didn't have any time of anxiety, nerves like that. I was real confident and calm and just trying to give the team a chance to win today, and get deep in the game and turn over the lineup a few times, and that's what I tried to do."

Rogers on how he feels physically: "I feel great. I feel ready to go in five days if that's the case, whatever it may be. I feel awesome. Body feels good and arm feels good."

Rogers on whether he'll get to continue pitching: "I have no idea yet. I'm just going to come in tomorrow and get my work in and get a lift in, get a run in. Probably talk to the guys and see where they're at right now. But if it is, it is what it is.

"I had an injury last year. Coming off that I only threw, like, 96 innings, but the previous year I threw, like, 140. I've logged innings in my career and I feel really good about it, but it is what it is. It's a learning experience up here. If these two starts are all I've got this year, then that's something I'm thankful for and super happy about."

Villar on home run and great defensive play: "You know, guys, that happens for the team. The first at-bat, I saw what the guy threw me. In the second at bat, I was ready for one pitch. I was happy because he threw me that pitch right there.

"The nice play ... I need that to happen for the team all the time. That's my game. We come over here to the Orioles and I want to play every day, so I want to help the team all the time."

Villar on whether he's seeing the ball well at the plate: "Yeah, yeah. Right now, the last month when we play here, because the season is over in a couple weeks, I'm working every day in the cage (to help) that situation. Coming from the National League to the American League, there are more fastballs here than in the National League because in the National League pitchers hit there. We are more focused on the game. We're working every day before the game."

Villar on Rogers: "He's good, he's good. I like it when he's the starting pitcher because he's not scared to throw the pitch. He's got a good fastball, good slider. He's not scared, 3-2 and he'll throw a slider. I like that pitcher. He can play here."