Castillo ready to get back into major league game (O's down 14-2)

NEW YORK - It took only one game in Trenton last night for Orioles catcher Welington Castillo to decide that he was ready to come off the disabled list.

He also earns points for his preparation when the media's questions venture into a delicate area.

Castillo is able to laugh at the phrasing and the awkwardness. He tries to ease the discomfort. A high pain threshold comes with the job.

The Orioles activated Castillo from the disabled list 11 days after he sustained a testicular injury on a pitch that deflected off Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius' arm. Castillo played seven innings last night and pronounced himself fit to join the active roster.

"It was important because I got hit down there. And just to get confident and get trust behind the plate with a hitter there, too. I know it's more mental than anything," Castillo said.

"I just went down there and did my job and caught seven innings and took three ABs and it's all good."

No reason to spend a second night in Trenton.

"Honestly, not really," he said. "I know I missed 10 days, so I haven't been facing pitchers, so it's going to be hard timing along the way, but this game is about making adjustments and the quicker you can ... The only way you can is to play and see pitches out there and compete."

And try not to think about what happened the last time that he crouched behind the plate in a game.

"It never came to my mind," he said. "I was out there enjoying my time and playing. That's what I love to do."

The Orioles have two catchers on the roster who have gone on the disabled list with the same type of injury, but Caleb Joseph underwent surgery last season and missed a month.

The subject has come in, as you might expect.

Yeah, I mean, he came to me and told me what happened to him. But thank God it wasn't that bad when I got hit there," Castillo said after another pause and a chuckle.

"It's weird that both catchers got hit on the same day, too. You've just got to go out there and play. It's not the first time or the last time you're going to get hit down there. Hopefully, it's not bad, but ... you're always get beat up behind the plate. But you're never thinking about it."

It seems so much easier said than done.

"You've got to understand, they deal with that every night," said manager Buck Showalter. "Maybe not that ... but that's a possibility every night. You can't do much with foul balls or pitches that bounce awkwardly in the batter's box. That's why you see catchers and umpires trying to smooth out that area in front of the plate, because the ball bounces from holes that the hitters have made."

Castillo decided against using Joseph's Kevlar cup or other models suggested to him. That's the latest, and hopefully the last, "cupdate" from Castillo, who again found the amusement in the media's curiosity.

"I've been trying a lot of different protection down there, but it doesn't feel comfortable, so I'm going to go back to the one I used to have," he said. "I think it was a little bit old, which is why I think it cracked when the ball hit me. I tried three different (ones) and I didn't feel comfortable, so I'm going to wear whatever's comfortable. That's all that matters."

Update: Chris Tillman retired the first two batters in the first inning and gave up six runs on six hits. He also walked one.

Aaron Judge homered, Gary Sánchez had a two-run single, Didi Gregorius hit a two-run homer and Chris Carter added an RBI single. The Yankees sent 10 batters to the plate.

Tillman has allowed 13 runs in the first inning in his seven starts.

Update II: Starlin Castro hit a three-run homer off Tillman in the second inning after back-to-back walks to give New York a 9-0 lead.

Tillman allowed a career-high nine runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Update III: Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer off Stefan Crichton in the fourth inning to increase the lead to 12-0. Edwin Jackson replaced Crichton, who logged two innings.

The Orioles didn't have a baserunner against Luis Severino until Mark Trumbo walked to lead off the fifth.

Update IV: Judge delivered a two-run double off Jackson in the fifth to increase the lead to 14-0. Jackson gave up four hits in the inning.

Update V: Chris Davis broke up Severino's shutout bid with a home run in the seventh, and Joey Rickard homered off reliever Givanny Gallegos in the eighth to reduce the lead to 14-2.