Bud Norris: "I'll take that one for sure on me" (plus other clubhouse quotes)

After a spring training where he had an ERA of 9.26, this was not the start Bud Norris wanted today. He gave up eight runs and seven hits in three-plus innings as Toronto beat the Orioles 12-5 at Camden Yards.

"Frustrating," Norris said. "Not what I envisioned. Tough to do here at home in front of these guys. I'll take that one for sure on me.

"Slider wasn't great today. I got ahead in some counts and they put some good swings and found some holes. But I've got to get better. This is the first one of many. So, take it with a grain of salt. I know I have a lot more in the tank and I just have to learn from it. I'm a little frustrated, so back to the drawing board and get back out there."

Norris said no excuses because of the damp and chilly conditions at first pitch.

"I don't think so," he said. "You have to be prepared for that in Baltimore. Toronto has a great lineup over there, we know that."

Norris was asked if his start was a carryover from a spring training where he allowed five homers over 11 2/3 innings in Grapefruit League play.

"I hope not, in all honestly," he said. "From the years previous, it says no. I don't think it carries over too much, but I will look at some things on video. I can only control what I can control each fifth day and go out there and get better."

Norris said he has not lost any confidence and also talked about what he needs to work on before his next start.

"When you are going in on some of these left-handed hitters, you have to really drive it in there," he said. "That is something I did a lot better toward the second half last year. Today, that two-seamer kind of got away from me. That is what I've seen from the video so far, but I'll go talk to (Dave) Wallace and (Dom) Chiti and go from there. ... This is the AL East, it doesn't get easier.

"You can't just look at the results. You have to look at other things, how you feel and all the rest. I got through spring healthy and that was a big one for me. The results were not great today on paper, but that is just one side of the story. I've been a confident player and I have another opportunity in five days.

"I do want to forget it, but I'm going to learn from it, too. I think being a starter, you have to have a short-term memory. By the time I throw my bullpen, I have to forget about it. By the time I get out there against New York, I'll be ready to go," Norris said after his shortest outing since last Aug. 23.

It was his seventh career start of three innings or fewer. His eight runs allowed was one off his career-high.

What did catcher Caleb Joseph see?

"Just command issues. The stuff was there. We just didn't command it, not just him, but as a whole staff. They came out swinging. Credit them. It is one of probably 30 for him. Just execution, plain and simple," Joseph said.

"Just fastball command. Think we had a good game plan, but just didn't execute. It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of the first one, because it's the home opener with a packed crowd. Bud won a lot of games for us last year. He's a crucial part of our staff. He is going to be better, his track record proves that.

"Sometimes you just don't have it. The execution where he really wants to live down and away with the fastball and then get guys inside and throw quality sliders. And the execution just wasn't there."

Chris Davis went 2-for-4 with a double and had another drive caught at the wall in the sixth inning. He felt like he started to get into an offensive rythm today after going 0-for-6 against Tampa Bay. He also heard pregame cheers when he ran down the orange carpet in his first home game since the end of his suspension.

"It was awesome. These guys (fans) don't disappoint. We knew we'd have a ton of people out there, no matter what kind of weather we had. Just unfortunate we couldn't get a win for them," Davis said.

Adam Jones tied his career-high in hits, going 4-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBIs.

"We grind as a team, it's no individual," Jones said. "Doesn't matter what I do. We lost as a team and we all put in the effort as a team. We put up five runs and 14 hits (actually 13). We gave up more, but I'm a positive guy. Look at the positive. We didn't quit until the last out was made. Game Four. We ain't going to quit, all the way to 162."

Jones was asked about the pregame ceremonies and excitement of playing the first game at home.

"Opening day is awesome. It's similar to an All-Star Game," he said. "Everything is crammed, we get in late. We had an event last night. Kind of hectic, but once the game starts it is always great to have a sellout at Camden Yards. Fans showed up. Awesome. I know we didn't win the game, but they still had a good time, I could tell."