Adam Jones: "We're just not playing good baseball"

MILWAUKEE - The Orioles ate and dressed inside another quiet clubhouse tonight, the televisions and music turned off as usual following a loss. It's becoming a common scene, especially with a 15-28 record on the road. The sounds of silence.

Center fielder Adam Jones wasn't looking for or offering excuses for the latest failure, a 4-0 defeat that allowed the Brewers to complete a three-game sweep at Miller Park.

Line drives keep turning into outs. Opponents keep finding the openings and taking the extra bases. But the end result is all that matters and the Orioles are four games below .500 for the first time this season.

"Just call it what you see it: We're not playing good baseball," Jones said. "You can sugarcoat it however you want to. We're just not playing good baseball. I think a lot of guys know it. You can see frustration on everybody. And it's all part of it. It sucks, but it's part of the 162.

"What we've got to do is just continue to grind, continue to put in the work, continue to maintain our routines and at some point in time it's going to work. Right now, we're not getting the caroms. Everything's not going our way. We had bases loaded tonight and couldn't even squeeze a run by. Most of the time, we at least squeeze one in. It's just the times that we're in right now.

"Is it frustrating? Of course it is. Is it going to last? I think that's up to us to continuously do what we do. We grind it out. It's cliché as hell, but it's the truth. You've got to just maintain your sanity and continue to play this game hard."

And continue to block out the rumblings of seller versus buyer, whether veterans should be traded for prospects, whether a team that's made the playoffs three of the last five seasons should be stripped down.

"That's the first I've really thought of it, to be honest with you," Jones said. "Obviously, we all know the Midsummer Classic is coming up soon. I think a lot of our fans can't wait for that also so we can get a couple days away from the field, away from the game and come back fresh. But we've got four games in Minnesota.

"I think these four games are really important going into the break, so we need to concentrate and figure it out. Get the heck out of Milwaukee, go to Minnesota, catch up on some Prince and get back after. Because we're not out of it by a long shot. There's a lot of games left. The guys in here haven't quit. It's just right now we're going through a bad stretch."

Jones knows there are fans who disagree. He's no stranger to social media and the accusations that spew from it.

"When someone says you're not trying hard enough, that's kind of a slap in the face to the individual," he said. "That's like going to someone else's job and saying they're not working hard enough. You have to just block out the outside people, because at the end of the day, they have no idea what it takes to be here and what it takes to do this. I think the world is a result-based world, and right now they just look at the sheer results and say they're not trying hard. But we're trying hard. Just right now, nothing is going our way. The second that we do good, they'll be right back.

"It's the same exact effort level as when we're winning and when we're losing. You've just got to take it with a grain of salt and let the people that weren't in here, the ones that don't affect us besides the 25 in here. A little more like 32, 33 guys that rotate up and down. We all have confidence in each other, so at the end of the day, we play for each other."

Here's more from the clubhouse:

Manager Buck Showalter on what he liked about Jayson Aquino: "Just tempo. Just like we thought we'd see. He's not scared. This is a guy who comes up and attacks people. His repertoire and his approach really don't play out of the 'pen. It's kind of like, guys have got to see him. Guys up here see so many right-handed lineups, left-handed pitchers do, so the changeup ...

"And the player development group has done a great job with his slider. Roger (McDowell) started working on it in spring and that's given him another look that he didn't have. Anytime you can make some good left-handed hitters looks uncomfortable with the slider, that was something he didn't have."

Showalter on whether Aquino is in position for another start: "He has for a while. If you look at things just purely statistically, it's really not very close compared to him and the other guys. We've been looking for a spot. He doesn't have the track record that some other guys do, as far as up here, but he presented himself well. I was proud of him. That's what I was thinking I was going to see. Always had a little something in the back of my mind. Always liked the approach he has."

Showalter on the three-run fourth inning: "He had what, two or three days off? But we shortened him up so he could make this start because he was, by far, the best guy available down there. It's hard to fault anything. He should have given up two runs. And I think he had the guy picked off second. He pitched well. What may have changed or didn't change and what happened to get the third and fourth runs ... we didn't score any runs again and that's pretty much a short conversation when you're evaluating a game."

Showalter on closer Zach Britton's scoreless inning: "Just get him out there. I didn't want him to go very long. I didn't tell him before the game because I knew I was going to get him in there if any situation developed. Brad (Brach) needed to pitch tonight. He had four days off. But we wanted to get (Britton) out there and not have him sit around. He ended up with a zero and I think it'll get better from there."

Showalter on the key point in not scoring after loading the bases with no outs: "The first at-bat. It's always the first at-bat in those situations. We've got to put the ball in play there. Once you get to the pitcher's spot, and then they have a shot at getting out of it. And Seth (Smith) just missed the ball. He got under it a little bit and didn't quite square up. But once we don't get anything done in the eight hole, it opens up the possibility. It happens in the National League. That's why it's such an important spot in the order."

Britton on his right hand after taking a liner off his glove: "It's good. It hit the glove. It just kind of jammed me a little bit. Figures that's how it would go with the first one, right?"

Britton on getting the first outing under his belt: "It's been a while since I pitched in a big league game. Definitely a little nervous and overthrew some pitches, but I just need to get my timing back and everything. But physically I feel great. That's the best thing, and now it's about going out and making pitches. The more innings I get under my belt, the more comfortable you get back up here.

"It's just a different type of game. It's a good offensive team, so as we go along just get a little sharper command-wise and get back to what I'm used to doing.."

Britton on how minor league appearances can't duplicate: "Yeah, absolutely. If your command's not as sharp up here, they're going to hit some balls hard, and they did. The base hit up the middle and the line drive, and when I got my command, I got the two weak groundouts, which was nice. They make you pay for your mistakes up here."

Britton on frustration of not taking advantage of early scoring chances: "It's tough. I thought Aquino threw the ball pretty well. He made a few mistakes but that was it. He did a good job filling in for Tilly (Chris Tillman).

"Yeah, it's getting frustrating. I haven't been here the whole time, but I've been watching and keeping up with the guys. We're a better team. This is pretty much the team we had last year. When you think about where we were last year, we've added some piece that we thought were going to benefit us, so this is a tough stretch. Teams in our division are getting hot right now, so we're going to Minnesota and you turn the page on this series. That's all we can do. Hopefully, we win that series and go home and get ready to roll after the All-Star break."

Britton on his stuff: "I wasn't thinking about it too much. I was just excited to get on the mound. A little anxious, overthrowing, but I was happy with the way it ended, the weak contact. It was good to get that first one out of the way."

Aquino, via interpreter, on whether he was happy with results: "Yes, and at the same time, no, because we lost the game. That's really tough. Hopefully, things change."

Aquino on whether he did enough to warrant another start: "I'm always waiting for my opportunity, hoping there is another opportunity, and I try to take advantage of the opportunity."

Aquino on what he takes from this outing: "I just need to be myself, continue to work on my pitches, keeping the ball down in the zone and just concentrating on doing my job. Whatever the team decides to do, that's really up to the team."