Steve Pearce: "I've been like a one-man rally-killer this past week"

After a breakout 2014 season with the Orioles, Steve Pearce has gotten off to a poor start this year. Right now, he is the first one to point a finger at himself for his struggles.

One year removed from batting .293 with 21 homers, 49 RBIs, a .556 slugging percentage and an OPS of .930, the numbers are way off so far.

In 14 games, he is batting .167 with two homers, four RBIs, a .292 slugging percentage and .551 OPS.

"Frustrating," Pearce said this afternoon. "Started off well and just hit a funk. And we are not playing our best baseball, so it is kind of magnified a bit. You have to dig yourself out of it and that is what I trying to do right now."

He may have begun to turn a corner late in last night's game. Called on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning, he fell behind 0-2 in the count against Boston's Alexi Ogando and then worked a walk. Two innings later he singled for just his third hit in his last 25 at-bats.

"Definitely build some confidence (off last night)," he said. "Working every day and working hard. Just mechanically want to get it right to help the team get back on the right track."

He is not starting again today. This is the fourth straight game and sixth time in seven games that he is out of the starting lineup.

Has he just been getting time off to work on his hitting in pregame situations these past few days?

"You probably have to ask Buck (Showalter) that, but I would assume," Pearce said. "I've been like a one-man rally-killer this past week. It's been frustrating, and I think Buck sees I'm very frustrated. I'm not swinging like I'm capable. But it comes around, it always does. Just want to get back to how I know I can play.

"Of course you want to play. But the bigger picture is, I want to get back to where I can help the team. Right now, I'm not having quality at-bats or helping the team on offense. But last night definitely was a start going in the right direction."

Pearce, who has what Showalter would call "want-to" and a strong work ethic in abundance, is trying to draw some on last year right now. He produced those numbers over 338 at-bats then and doesn't want to let 48 at-bats so far this year diminish anything he did in 2014 or provide a blow to his confidence. But he knows he has to start hitting soon.

"It helps a lot (remembering last year). I know I can play at this level," he said. "I went through this year, after the All-Star break I kind of struggled exactly like this. I know there is light at the end of the tunnel. Not pressing yet, we are only two weeks into the season.

"If we were winning games, it probably wouldn't be as blown up as it yet. But we have to win. We don't want to dig ourselves a huge hole at the beginning of the year."