Davis: "It felt good to go out there tonight and kind of earn my paycheck"

PITTSBURGH - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis became so frustrated with his failed at-bats Sunday in Kansas City that he made some adjustments in batting practice today and made a statement to his wife that seemed to give him a fresh perspective on the season. "I think it was good to have a day off and clear my head," he said. "I told Jill today I'm just going to start over. I'm going to start the season over today, and that's kind of what I did." He did some serious damage at the plate, launching three home runs and driving in five runs. "I've been working on trying to get my hands and my backside synced up and really hitting in one piece instead of my hands going forward and my lower half not really doing anything," he said. "It was a frustrating game Sunday against Kansas City, I felt like I had some good pitches to hit and I rolled over everything and was really frustrated. So I got here early today and worked on some stuff in early BP. And like I said, sometimes it just clicks for you and today was one of those days." A night when he homered in three straight at-bats off three different pitchers. "I don't think it really mattered," he said. "The first ball I hit I just tried to stay through it and get on top of one instead of working underneath everything, and I was able to do it. After that, I just looked for the ball and tried to see it and hit it. It wasn't anything that I was doing specifically. "Earlier today in BP, I felt like it kind of clicked for me and it showed up for me today in the game." This is the most synced up, as it was, that Davis has felt all year. "Absolutely. Since the season started even in spring training," he said. "There were some at-bats where I would feel good and have good results, but I just didn't feel like I was right. And then obviously with the injury, missing some time, coming back, my timing was all screwed up." It was only a matter of time before the offense erupted again. "You can say what you want about the weather, whether it was cold, raining or whatever it was, but it usually takes the offense a little bit to get going," said Davis, who has two career three-homer games. "Guys start getting comfortable in the box. Once you get 80 to 100 at-bats underneath your belt, you start to figure it out a little bit, and I think that's the case with our team." Asked about his importance to the lineup, Davis replied, "I think every guy is important in this lineup, one through nine. "I said early on I felt like at least I was getting on base, seeing a lot of pitches," he added. "I knew that it would pay off. But I know what my role is in the lineup and it felt good to go out there tonight and kind of earn my paycheck, so to speak." Miguel Gonzalez said it was "fun" to watch Davis' power display. "He's been struggling a little at the plate, but I'm happy we got all those runs and run support," he said. "Our defense was great. I thought we played a great game overall."