Hyde on Mancini's day off, Ruiz's slump and more (game postponed)

For the first time in a young 2021 season, Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini will begin a game sitting on the bench.

Mancini is getting a break tonight as the Orioles attempt to resume their series against the Mariners with rain returning to the forecast. Maikel Franco is playing first base rather than starting across the infield.

Manager Brandon Hyde used Mancini as the designated hitter in one game. Otherwise, the 2019 Most Valuable Oriole has been on the field and struggling to find his rhythm at the plate.

Mancini has shown flickering signs of breaking out of his slump, including his two home runs. But he's 7-for-44 (.159) with a .565 OPS after going hitless in seven at-bats in yesterday's doubleheader, and his 14 strikeouts are tied with Freddy Galvis for second on the club behind Ryan Mountcastle (18).

"He showed a lot of frustration yesterday and I just wanted to give him a day off where, try to clear his head a little bit, watch the game and still be available in a big spot potentially late in the game," Hyde said today in his Zoom call. "I think it's important that guys are being so tough on themselves that you kind of take it away from them a little bit, let them relax and not put so much pressure on themselves.

"It's just a day off for him."

Mountcastle remains the sixth hitter in tonight's lineup after collecting three hits and an RBI in the doubleheader and also driving a ball to the center field fence. Two of those hits were doubles.

"Just trying to keep my head clear at the plate and keeping my eyes on the ball is what I've been focusing on, especially during BP," he said this afternoon. "Just staying through it and the hits will eventually come and just staying confident."

Rio Ruiz is playing third base tonight, but also keeps getting starts at second. Meanwhile, he's also scuffling at the plate with four hits and 12 strikeouts in 32 at-bats.

Hyde isn't under the impression that concentration on a new position could be impacting Ruiz offensively, that the weight is driving down his production.

"I think that's reading too much into it," Hyde said.

"For me, Rio is just off to a tough start and is a little bit underneath. He's trying to be short to the baseball and he's just a little bit underneath the baseball right now. I'm starting to see signs of him coming out of it, starting to see signs of him taking some shorter swings, but I think he's just off to a little bit of a tough start.

"When you get off to a tough start, you try to do a little bit too much. He's kind of in the same funk as a lot of our guys, where they're not letting the at-bat happen, where they're trying to force things and trying to drive the baseball instead of really relaxing and focusing on getting a good pitch to hit and staying in the middle of the field, staying short to the baseball. He's just trying to do too much right now.

"We've seen Rio in good moments also the last couple years where he can go left-on-left and go to left and center, and he can hit a homer to right field. He can do some things. Now, it's just about being a little more consistent. I just want him to take some pressure off himself and relax. Like a lot of our guys, they're really putting a lot of pressure on themselves offensively."

Ramón Urías starts again at second after his home run and walk-off single in the doubleheader. He outlasted Pat Valaika in the utility battle and is earning more opportunities.

"I saw a defender when he came up the last week or two weeks of last year, saw he was a solid defender, really like him at second base," Hyde said.

"He plays a really nice second base, he can play shortstop, as well, played him at third base a little bit in spring training, just to get him acclimated over there and see what that looked like. But what Ramón does offensively is he uses the whole field and drives the ball the other way. You saw the power there in that first game with the opposite-field homer. I did see that at the end of the year last year, so that's intriguing for me is a guy who can stay on the baseball, use the middle of the field. And really his strength is that right-center field gap, so he showed that yesterday with that base hit up the middle, kind of pulling his hands inside, as well as showing the power he has in the first game.

"You don't see that very much anymore, is a guy who really has an opposite-field approach, and I really like that about him, in that he is able to cover the outer part of the plate and hurt guys to the opposite side."

Mariners starter Justin Dunn is a walk machine, averaging 7.6 per nine innings in 15 major league starts, and Orioles hitters are aware of it. His control was an obvious topic in their pregame meeting and there's always video rolling of the opposing pitcher.

The approach at the plate tonight is supposed to reflect it. That's the idea.

"Yeah, he did walk some guys (eight in 4 2/3 innings) his last start, but if you watch his last start, it's not like big misses. It's misses around the strike zone," Hyde said. "He's a first-round pick for a reason. He's got a special arm, he's got a really good breaking ball. He just faced the White Sox his last start, a good offensive club, they didn't do much damage against him.

"We do have to get him in the strike zone, we've got to be on time with his fastball, make sure that he is in the zone and to be able to battle with that breaking ball. It's going to be a big test for us offensively tonight."

The tarp is on the field and a light rain is falling. That's the extent of the weather update.

Mariners manager Scott Servais told the media in his Zoom call that the teams would play a doubleheader Thursday if tonight's game is postponed. Getaway day won't get in the way.

Update: The Orioles have placed Rule 5 pitcher Mac Sceroler on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder tendinitis, retroactive to yesterday, and recalled Travis Lakins Sr. from the alternate training site in Bowie.

Lakins pitched yesterday in the opener and retired the three batters he faced, recording two strikeouts. He served as the 27th man.

Sceroler tossed 2 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings in his major league debut in New York, but allowed three runs and five hits in one inning against the Red Sox on Sunday. He served up two home runs.

Update II: Tonight's game has been postponed due to inclement weather. The teams will play a single-admission doubleheader Thursday beginning at 12:35 p.m. The second game will begin 45 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.