Looking at a balancing act for O's skipper Brandon Hyde

As the manager of the Orioles, Brandon Hyde is well aware he is skipper of a rebuilding project. But at 7 p.m. every night (or earlier for day games), he badly wants to win the baseball game that is right in front of him.

And Hyde will make every move he can, and any and all lineup tweaks, changes or adjustments that he hopes will lead to a win. He wants to put players in the best spots to succeed, which he hopes ultimately leads to wins.

So while pushing hard each night for a win, there will still be nights when his young and developing team will not be able to do it. They will make mistakes - both mental and physical - that lead to losses.

How does he handle the balancing act of pushing for wins daily but realizing there is a bigger picture at work for his team and organization?

"It's challenging," he said Sunday when I asked him about this topic. "It's challenging. You know this is the third year of it. You know I want to believe we are going to start making less mistakes. I think we have gained really good experience in the last couple of years. I want to believe that playing in meaningful games last year - even though it was a shortened season - will be helpful.

"That is why these guys are putting so much pressure on themselves. I think a lot of guys really felt good about last year. And even though we kind of faded the last 10 games, we were really competitive throughout. I think guys really want - that's the mindset now. And I'm happy about that.

"But yeah, to balance that is not easy. We're playing teams that have, you know, huge payrolls, superstar players, guys that have played in postseasons, and we're inexperienced still.

"I just want to see improvement. I just want to see us develop and continue to get better over the course of the year. Continue to stay competitive against these really good teams. That's what is really important to me right now," he said.

Players on offense have been pressing, no doubt. That has led to too many chased pitches out of the zone leading to too many strikeouts. Hyde made a lineup change yesterday, dropping Ryan Mountcastle to sixth and moving Maikel Franco to the cleanup spot.

"We talk about just trying to do too much," he said. "Guys want to get off to a good start. And they want to contribute right away and want to see a good number up on the scoreboard when they look at their batting average or OPS. It's such a small sample. I think veteran players understand that more. Guys that have been around the league understand that more.

"We are just helping the pitcher out too much and too often. We've been facing good pitchers, so give them some credit. However, I believe we are going to start shrinking the strike zone a little bit. Not try to do so much in every single at-bat and just take better at-bats."

The Orioles get a pair of chances to do that later today. After last night's rainout, today they host Seattle for a single-admission doubleheader with a pair of seven-inning games starting at 4:05 p.m.

Earlier yesterday, Franco, in this entry, talked about how his offense has taken a turn for the better the last couple of days.

News from the Keys: The Frederick Keys, the former O's Single-A Carolina League affiliate, will begin play May 24 in the MLB Draft League. And now the Keys have their new manager.

The team will be led by Derrick May as skipper. May comes to the Keys with 15 years of coaching experience after a 10-year playing career with the Cubs (1990-94), Brewers (1995), Astros (1995-96), Phillies (1997), Expos (1998) and Orioles (1999). May was drafted No. 9 overall by the Chicago Cubs in the 1986 draft. He appeared in 797 major league games with a .271 batting average with 52 home runs and 310 RBIs.

"I am honored to be picked to manage in the MLB Draft League and excited that I have an opportunity to make an impact on the lives of aspiring professional players on the field and off," May said. "As I look back when I first started my professional career, I wished I knew the things I know now. So, to pass along the things I've learned that could potentially impact players' futures is very gratifying to me."

He is the son of Dave May, who also played for the Orioles in parts of four seasons from 1967 through 1970. The elder May hit .216 in 223 O's games.

Former O's hitting coach Jeff Manto will also manage in the MLB Draft League, leading the Trenton Thunder.

The Keys also have a new general manager. Dave Ziedelis, after 32 years in pro baseball and the last 16 as Keys general manager, is leaving baseball.

The team has announced the promotion of Andrew Klein from assistant general manager to general manager. Klein will serve the Keys as GM after serving as the assistant GM for sales since February 2018. He joined Frederick for the 2017 season as the director of sponsorship.

Ziedelis has been named as the new executive director of Visit Frederick, the tourism marketing organization for Frederick County and the city of Frederick.

"I'm very pleased that Andrew was selected to be my replacement," Ziedelis said. "It is a well-deserved promotion. Andrew has earned it and he will do a fantastic job."