Can Rickard get rolling again?

The Orioles won't face another left-handed starter until the Athletics give Rich Hill the ball in Friday's series opener. That's one whole day.

A predictable lineup tonight would include Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard in left field, Mark Trumbo in right and Pedro Alvarez serving as the designated hitter. It's been standard, and a three-man bench reduces the odds that changes are coming.

Trumbo and Alvarez are set, but a slump obviously brings Rickard's status into question. That's usually how it works, especially when you're a Rule 5 pick.

Rickard reached on a bunt single last night in the third inning, his eighth infield hit. He also flied out in the first against left-hander CC Sabathia, struck out in the fifth with runners on the corners and one out, and walked in the eighth.

Rickard was batting .350 on April 21, but has gone 7-for-44 to lower his average to .269. However, he doesn't appear lost at the plate.

I've seen many slumps during my years on the beat and this one isn't nearly as ugly. Pitchers aren't disposing of him quickly and moving on to the next batter.

"I don't think anybody expected Joey to hit .500, but he's playing with the same effort, the same outfield defense, running the bases," said manager Buck Showalter.

"What I'm looking for is when he starts swinging out of the strike zone a lot. I like the fact that he's deep in a lot of counts. He makes contributions to the rest of our eight guys in the batting order by his at-bat. He makes the guy throw four, five, six pitches, makes him show a lot of things, not make it be an easy at-bat. And as long as he stays selective and doesn't get out of that, he'll get back to being a little more productive offensively."

The Orioles really need Adam Jones to heat up. He's collected hits in 11 of his last 17 games, but he's mostly been spinning his wheels. His average hasn't risen above .225 and currently sits at .205 now that he's 1-for-11 in his last three games.

I'm always asked whether he's still hurt. Jones isn't going to admit it. He has ice packs on his right rib area and shoulder after games. He isn't the picture of health. But whether it's impacting his at-bats is unknown.

Kevin Gausman is making his third start tonight, having allowed three earned runs (four total) and seven hits over 11 innings against the Rays and White Sox. He's 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 11 career appearances (five starts) versus the Yankees totaling 38 2/3 innings.

Alex Rodriguez is 4-for-8 with a double and two home runs, but he's on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. Brett Gardner is 4-for-13 with a home run, Jacoby Ellsbury is 3-for-16 with a double and Mark Teixeira is 2-for-11 with a home run.

Masahiro Tanaka is 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA and 0.957 WHIP in his first five starts. Right-handers are hitting .170 against him and left-handers are hitting .234.

Tanaka is 1-1 with a 3.03 ERA in four career starts against the Orioles, but he's never pitched at Camden Yards.

The current Orioles are batting .212 against him. Matt Wieters is 3-for-8 with a double, Manny Machado is 3-for-11 with a double and home run and Ryan Flaherty is 1-for-6 with a home run.

Jonathan Schoop is only 2-for-12, but both hits are home runs.

Schoop extended his hitting streak last night to seven games with a double leading off the fifth inning. He's 7-for-24 since April 27.

Machado is batting .458/.519/.792 during a six-game hitting streak, which includes five doubles, a home run, five RBIs, four runs scored and three walks.