Dylan Bundy on his start today against the Mets

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy wanted to get some work on his curveball today. He was able to do that while getting his pitch count up in a start against the New York Mets.

Bundy pitched 5 2/3 innings, his longest spring outing, and allowed five hits and five runs (four earned) with one walk and six strikeouts. He gave up one homer, threw a wild pitch and hit two batters. The last run on his record scored after he left the game. Lefty Luis Gonzalez replaced him in the sixth and a runner advanced to second on a passed ball and then scored on Amed Rosario's two-out single to center. Bundy threw 96 pitches, 58 for strikes.

"I mean the results were not there, obviously, with that many runs scored," Bundy said outside the Orioles clubhouse. "Just left a couple of pitches up in the third there, behind in the count to (Travis) d'Arnaud. He took advantage of it.

"I think I threw quite a few curveballs the first two or three innings. Got a few called strikes on it, which was good. I was happy with the shape of the pitch today. Slider came into play later in the game."

The Mets took a 1-0 lead on Bundy on d'Arnaud's solo homer to center leading off the second inning. He hit a 3-0 Bundy fastball for his second homer of the spring and the second allowed by Bundy in four Grapefruit League games. This followed a 1-2-3 top of the first for Bundy that featured liberal use of his secondary pitches.

An inning later, the lead grew to 4-0. No. 9 hitter Matt den Dekker tripled with one out and scored on single by Branden Nimmo. After a hit by pitch and a strikeout, d'Arnaud blasted a two-run double to center on a 91 mph fastball for a 4-0 lead and a three-RBI day.

Bundy said he may be looking to just work on his pitches at times in spring games. At other times, he is looking to pitch sequence just as he might during the regular season. Getting his pitch count up today was a plus and allowed him to do that.

"Well, in 5 2/3, that's not good (96 pitches)," he said. "But getting the pitch count up there closer to 100, that's good for the regular season, yeah. I think most of our sequencing today was good, except I didn't hit my spots on a few pitches."

Bundy was making his fifth appearance, counting a simulated game. He had allowed 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings in his first two spring starts. In his most recent outing on Monday versus Pittsburgh, he gave up one run over five innings in Bradenton.

Over four Grapefruit League games, he has worked a total of 15 innings, allowing 23 hits, 16 runs (15 earned) with four walks and 11 strikeouts, for an ERA of 9.00. His ERA last spring was 7.41 in five starts.

Bundy was asked if getting better results begins to be important this late in camp. He will likely have one more start remaining in Florida.

"Yeah, you can start to," he said. "You are getting up there in pitches and you are going like you would on a normal night, five, six, seven innings. You look for those results at the end of spring. But I've still got another start until we head north. Obviously, still going to work on some things in the bullpen and be ready come April. Or March 28 or 29."