Back in lineup tonight, are things slowing down for Mancini?

TORONTO - After nine days in the major leagues, maybe the Orioles' Trey Mancini has reached the point where his life is starting to feel somewhat normal again.

Maybe.

He sure had a crazy first few days as he became an instant fan favorite getting curtain calls as he homered in each of his first three major league starts. He became the third player in the majors since 1913 to do that, joining Carlos Quentin and Trevor Story.

So have things started to settle down a bit for Mancini, who will bat fifth as the designated hitter tonight making his fourth major league start?

"They have settled down a little bit, especially coming up to Toronto," Mancini said this afternoon. "But the past week in Baltimore was something that I could have never dreamed of happening. Especially for my family, too. It was great to have them there for that whole experience. But things have calmed down a bit for all of us."

Mancini certainly had some special games at Camden Yards last week and then some interesting experiences outside of the ballpark as well.

"It was kind of strange being recognized on the street and it happened quite a few times," he said. "Something I wasn't used to, but it was pretty neat and the first time for me. Just being recognized in public for something you did on the field. It was pretty surreal to have that happen."

Mancini has also been getting a steady stream of congratulatory messages from players he has played with on the O's farm. It is a tight-knit group and so many were thrilled to see Mancini not just get the call to the majors, but then do such special things in his first few games.

"I can't even count how many guys that I played with in the minors that reached out to me or texted me," he said. "We had a great group coming up. Every team I've been on was really close and we've had great camaraderie and all root for each other. I've done the same whenever, you know, Donnie (Hart) or someone you played with came up. We went through the whole minor league experience together and it's all about getting to this level. If one of us makes it, we're all happy."