Trumbo update and wrapping up a 6-2 loss

MILWAUKEE - Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo received an X-ray on his left calf today that came back negative, the only positive development at Miller Park.

Trumbo fouled a ball off his leg in the fifth inning of the Orioles' 6-2 loss to the Brewers. He singled into center field, but was replaced by Joey Rickard in the bottom of the sixth.

"He fouled a ball off his calf and bone," said manager Buck Showalter. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow. It got to the point where he couldn't really function."

Trumbo walked with a slight limp to his locker and said the leg was "pretty stiff."

"Wasn't running too well. We'll see how it responds tomorrow," he said.

Asked about the X-ray, Trumbo replied, "It's fine."

Trumbo is the only Oriole to play in all 83 games and is batting .255/.315/.408 with 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.

The foul ball was a fluky way to be forced out of a game.

"That's part of the game when you're playing hard," he said. "It's not going to turn anything around. We'll see how it responds tomorrow."

The Orioles must respond to another loss, which dropped them three games below .500. Maybe the outcome changes if Adam Jones doesn't come off third base while trying to advance in the second inning, or if Caleb Joseph's line drive with two on and one out in the third isn't turned into a 5-4 double play.

When it's going bad for a club, the breaks just don't come.

"That's just the beauty of this game, how things could happen," said third baseman Manny Machado. "Things aren't going our way right now and they haven't been going for us. The only thing we can do is keep grinding, keep grinding it out, keep doing what we've been doing. Keep having quality at-bats and pass the baton.

"I think that one good inning we had where we scored was getting good pitches to hit and getting yourself in good positions. It gives us an opportunity to score some runs for our team. We've just got to keep grinding it out. It's a long season. The second half is coming up and we've just got to be ready for it."

The Orioles saw another new pitcher, right-hander Jimmy Nelson, which can create another set of challenges. Nelson limited the Orioles to an unearned run in seven innings, didn't walk a batter and struck out eight, and lowered his home ERA to 2.35 in 10 starts.

"That's no excuse," Machado said. "We're not going to blame it on that we haven't seen any of these guys. They haven't seen any of us, either. It's just a matter of going out there and producing, passing the baton and getting things going. That's been our struggle for the last month or so.

"We've just got to keep doing what we've been doing. I know we're fighting. I know we're trying to get better and get past this and stay strong, and as long as we continue to keep working and trying to get better as a team, things will start turning around."

Showalter also wasn't buying the theory that an unfamiliar pitcher put the Orioles at a disadvantage.

"That would be a convenient excuse," he said. "It happens a lot up here. It's not always easy, but you usually make the adjustment and move on. I think it's more Nelson. He's been a good pitcher most of the year and you can see how they're high on him. I'll give them the credit, even though we're not where we should be."

Does seeing a line drive turned into a double play cause Showalter to shake his head in the dugout and wonder what else could go wrong?

"I do, but I don't," he replied. "That's the way the game goes sometimes, but it doesn't account for the rest of the game. I'm going to obviously publicly give their guy a lot of credit. He's been pitching well. But we need to be better.

"We're seeing some good pitching, but that's why they call it the big leagues. We're just ... There's some things privately that we work on and talk about, but we just haven't been able to put it together. I'm not going to get into critiquing guys individually, but every club goes through ups and downs. We just haven't been able to click as a team over extended periods very much."

This is also true of Ubaldo Jiménez, who followed up his eight scoreless innings in Toronto by allowing three home runs for the first time since 2015.

"Stuff was OK, you know?" Showalter said. "I thought it was pretty good. In fact, early on I thought he was carrying similar, but these guys are leading the National League - I'm not sure about the American League, too - in home runs and you make those mistakes, you're going to pay for them. We made three of them.

"I know Willy (Tyler Wilson) was trying to go down and away 3-1 and threw it middle-middle, and got a hanging split and then an 86 mph fastball that didn't do much from Ubaldo. So, we made some bad pitches and they made us pay."

Jiménez couldn't keep the ball down and a team like the Brewers will take full advantage. They finished the day with four home runs, including two by Eric Thames.

"My pitches were a little bit high today compared to my last game," Jiménez said. "Those three homers, especially the last two, I hung a split to Thames and then the 3-1 pitch to (Travis) Shaw was a high fastball, too.

"I felt really good today, like I said. I wish I could take those pitches back, but there's no way to take them back. They have a good lineup and they made me pay for my mistakes."

The game didn't completely get away from Jiménez. He mostly kept the Orioles engaged, but they couldn't muster much offensively.

"That's what I was trying to do," he said. "As soon as I gave up the three runs in the (second) inning, I was like, 'I just have to keep going out there and try to keep the score right there.' Unfortunately, they hit two more homers."

The Orioles have hit another bad stretch with four losses in their last five games after winning back-to-back road series. The signs of another backslide are surfacing.

"I hope not, I hope not," Jiménez said. "Hopefully, we get it tomorrow and we put everything together. Pitching, defense, offense, put everything together and just get it going from there."

Closer Zach Britton comes off the disabled list on Wednesday - Wilson was optioned after today's game to create a spot - and first baseman Chris Davis is expected to follow right after the break, perhaps providing a lift to a team that badly needs one.

"Injuries have been brutal for us," Machado said. "Myself, Schoopy (Jonathan Schoop) always getting hurt, little things nagging around the whole team. Everyone is beat down. It's why we call it a team sport, and hopefully when they get back, they're going to help this team go to the next level and take some of the pressure off of other players.

"Hopefully, they get going and they stay healthy. I hope Zach stays healthy, comes in and does his job. All we can do is just play behind him and keep doing what we're doing."