Buck Showalter on Chris Davis' comments and more (game update)

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter today was asked to weigh in on Chris Davis' postgame comments after last night's 10-7 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. For the second night in a row, the Orioles had little offense until the ninth inning, when they scored five runs.

Davis said the team needs to become less reliant on homers to consistently score.

"I felt like we kind of singled them to death in that last inning," Davis said last night. "That has to be our approach, day in and day out. We've relied on the home run in the past, way too often, and we've done it for way too long. At some point there has to be an adjustment where we realize we are more than that kind of offense."

I asked Showalter today if the Orioles' veteran hitters can make the necessary adjustments Davis touched on.

"I hope so," Showalter said. "They are too talented not to. ... They are able to do other things. I think, sometimes a pitcher is on top of his game and the good pitchers don't give up those. But you can do some things.

"There are no secrets. You know what pitchers are going to do. They don't change their colors very often. I think the game has evolved. Like I've said before, there are no fastball counts (anymore). About half the people we face are throwing over 50 percent off-speed pitches. It is just a different game. The ones that adjust to that, that is what Chris is saying about working that and trying to do that more."

Showalter said Davis' comments were directed at himself as well as the team in general.

"Believe me, Chris looks in the mirror every day," Showalter said. "He is talking about everything. He was not pointing the finger. Chris is a guy that points the finger at himself, too. Like all of us do. You have to be a good self-evaluator and be accountable."

Right-hander Dylan Bundy had a second straight poor outing last night. Over his last two starts, he's allowed 18 hits and 15 runs (12 earned) over nine innings and has given up five home runs.

Last night, the skipper said this about Bundy: "He'll figure it out, but you see a couple in a row like that from a good pitcher (and) you're always concerned it's something else."

Today Showalter expanded on those comments.

"There is just normal caution. You look for things," he said of Bundy, who is now 1-4 with an ERA that has increased from 1.42 to 3.76 over his past two outings. "You watch his workday and everything. He just made some mistakes on some pitches and he couldn't get back in the count in his favor. I've said that a lot of times, the really good pitchers I've had, they were able to get back in the count with a quality strike and he wasn't able to do that last night. He'll be all right."

Catcher Chance Sisco is back in the lineup tonight after taking an inadvertent Pedro Álvarez forearm to his nose on Tuesday night. He had to leave the game with a facial contusion. Was there any hesitation to play Sisco?

"He's fine. Believe me we've woken him up two days in a row now," Showalter said. "He could have played last night. There is some caution. All the sudden, the speed of the game and everything that goes on. We'll be watching him closely. But breathing has not been a problem for him."

O's second baseman Jonathan Schoop, as planned, got four at-bats today in an extended spring training game in Florida. After the game, he flew north to join Double-A Bowie, where the original plan was for him to play three games there over the weekend.

"He made his flight," Showalter said. "Jon did well and he'll play in Bowie. Looking at the weather in Bowie for Saturday and Sunday, we may have to make an adjustment after Friday with where he's going. Looks like (Triple-A) Norfolk is a little better, but we'll wait and see. It looks like they should be able to get tomorrow's game in."

If Schoop comes through the weekend fine, his return to the Orioles roster should come on Tuesday at home versus Kansas City. He's been on the disabled list since April 14 with a right oblique strain.

Showalter said that tomorrow's scheduled starter in Oakland, right-hander Andrew Cashner, is flying to Oakland tonight ahead of the team. Showalter also said that Norfolk lefty Chris Lee is about ready to come off the minor league disabled list.

A couple of O's pitching prospects did not have great starts today. For Norfolk, right-hander David Hess gave up five runs over five innings to increase his ERA to 2.78. And Bowie right-hander Hunter Harvey allowed four runs and six hits over four innings, and his ERA is now 3.65.

Angels score five in the first: Chris Tillman, coming off an outing where he threw seven scoreless on one hit against Detroit, allowed five runs in the last of the first tonight.

He walked leadoff batter Ian Kinsler and proceeded to go on to allow five hits and put the Orioles in an early hole. The inning featured two doubles and a triple and five balls hit 99 mph or faster. Ironically, Tillman did get Albert Pujols to ground out and he remains at 2,998 career hits. Tillman needed 33 pitches to get the first three outs and his fastball velocity averaged 88.4 mph in the opening inning. His first inning ERA increased from 10.80 to 16.50.

It didn't get better for Tillman in the second. He allowed a double and Mike Trout's RBI single and then was replaced by Miguel Castro. The Angels scored three more runs to lead 8-0 after two innings.

Tillman went one inning plus two batters, allowing seven hits and seven runs with one walk and no strikeouts. He threw 47 pitches and his ERA is up to 9.24. The Angels went 7-for-10 against him tonight.

Pujols had a two-run double in the second for career hit No. 2,999. He could become the 32nd member of the 3,000-hit club later tonight.

The lead grows: The Orioles trailed 12-0 after the fourth inning when the Angels added four runs to their 8-0 lead, with three runs charged to Castro and one to Mychal Givens. Castro hit Pujols and the fans booed. It was his first crack at 3,000 hits. Speaking of hits, the Orioles have none through their first five at-bats tonight. Yikes.

No shutout: The Orioles finally got a hit and two runs to go with it in the sixth. Trey Mancini singled with one out to end Jaime Barria's no-hit bid. They added RBI singles by Manny Machado and Chris Davis to trail 12-2.