Orioles catcher Matt Wieters had calmed down considerably tonight as reporters approached him for comment on his second career ejection.
A game was won. That's what truly mattered.
"I don't like to get them, but I said some things I probably shouldn't have," said Wieters, who was tossed by plate umpire Dan Bellino after the bottom of the fifth inning for arguing that he checked his swing.
"He just hit a nerve a little bit, especially the checked swing, because they do have the option to get help. It was just, I thought it was a little bit inconsistent behind the plate for most of the night. As a catcher, first you just want to get pitches for both sides. They were getting a few more. Temper got the best of me and boiled over."
Wieters said the game itself wasn't frustrating. He certainly did approve of how it ended, with a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays that improved the Orioles' record to 10-4 as they head to Kansas City.
"We were in it and we knew that if we were in it, we had a chance," he said. "It's just sometimes you throw a pitch and it's a strike and sometimes you don't. It's just hard when you know your pitcher's out there battling to be able to try and at least know where to go to get a strike called and kind of hit or miss a little bit.
"Normally, when I'm hitting I'm O.K. If we're getting the same pitch I'm O.K. with it, but the checked swing if we're close, we'd love for them to ask. I'm catching and I don't get a good view of it all the time on a checked swing. That's why we go to who has a good angle. He called it and I have to live with it."
For whatever reason, Bellino didn't ask for help. He couldn't find the strike zone. Perhaps he also had trouble locating third base umpire Tony Randazzo.
"That's the one thing," Wieters said. "We're all human. We all make mistakes. He's trying hard back there to get the balls and strikes right. It's one thing where he could have gotten help, but he didn't. It was a little frustrating trying to figure out where his strike zone was. He's doing his best back there. We're all human."
Manny Machado was his typical self, driving in the winning run with a bloop double off Brett Cecil in the bottom of the eighth inning.
"It's just try to put the ball in play," Machado said. "It's been a tough series, back and forth, pitching's been well on both sides and it just gives you a little peek of how the year's going to be. You're going to have to keep battling until the last out."
Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard had singled with one out and moved up on a passed ball before racing home on the double. He never hesitated.
"It's awesome," Machado said. "He's been showing like he's been here (awhile). He needs to keep doing what he's doing. Don't change anything. Just keep getting on base for us, and keep playing baseball, keep playing good D and just keep being himself."
The Orioles took two of three from the Blue Jays after losing their series in Texas.
"We're going to keep playing," Machado said. "I mean, we came out with the series win so that's always a good thing going on to this road trip. Just going to keep playing baseball.
"We all know how this division's going to be. You know how good that team is and every team in this division's going to be good. This division is stacked up with pitching and hitting. We're just going to grind it out and see what happens."
The Orioles won tonight despite leaving 13 runners on base and losing their catcher.
"It's just how the game is," Machado said. "I mean, the game's frustrating itself. We have people scuffling right now. We left a lot of people on base, obviously. It's going to be hard. It's going to be like this all year. This division is not easy. It's not going to be an easy fight. We're going to have to grind it out. It's still early and we've got to keep playing some good baseball."
Machado's 14-game hitting streak tied his career high. He's batting .407/.462/.780 during it.
Machado is the third Oriole to hit safely in the club's first 14 games, joining Brian Roberts in 2005 and Eddie Murray in 1982.
"Just keep swinging it," he said. "Keep seeing the ball like I am. Keep doing what I've been doing. Don't change anything. Just keep doing my routine that I've been doing before the games and keep my same approach and hopefully it continues.
"Hopefully the team keeps going hot like we're going. If it wasn't for the team being so hot and the pitching staff being able to hold us to the point they've been holding us to to be in the game, none of those hits would be knocking down and things would be different. It's a team effort and we've been doing well overall. We just got tokeep doing what we've been doing.
"We're here to play baseball. Obviously, our end goal is to make it to the World Series but it's early, man. It's April. We're not worried about that. We're just worried about going out there and playing baseball every day, grinding it out. Grinding out every pitch, every at bat, every defensive move. We've got 140-something games left and we're going to grind them all out."
Dylan Bundy recorded his first major league strikeout after appearing in two games in 2012 and making his fifth appearance of the 2016 season tonight.
"It's been four years to get one strikeout in the majors," he said. "It's been awhile, but it was nice to get that out of the way. I've actually thought about it the last two outings. I remembered I don't have a strikeout, but I've got a couple walks, so I need to step that game up. But I'm happy to get it out of the way."
Bundy achieved another milestone by pitching on consecutive nights.
"It was just 10 pitches yesterday, but back-to-back is huge, I think," he said. "That way I can help out our bullpen and not have to rest a couple days between each outing. I think it's great that I can go back-to-back."
How about if he can get another strikeout without waiting four more years?
"Yes, hopefully," he said. "Thank you."
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