Miley: "Just got to manage innings better"

Wade Miley never said that he wanted to come into Baltimore like a wrecking ball. That was me just hoping that I could make another Miley Cyrus reference, as if increasing my total also would somehow bump up my salary.

(For the record, I didn't want to come into Baltimore like a wrecking ball. More like a rolling stone, based entirely on my name.)

Miley has made three starts since the Orioles acquired him from the Mariners for minor league left-hander Ariel Miranda, whose departure robbed me of "Little Mermaid" and "Rights" puns. He's 0-2 with a 7.04 ERA and one bruised calf.

Miley's allowed 12 earned runs (13 total) and 22 hits in 15 1/3 innings. He left his debut after five innings and 92 pitches, taking a comebacker off his lower leg. He held the Athletics to two runs over six innings in his next start, but he surrendered six earned runs (seven total) and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings in San Francisco.

The wound from that last outing closed after Jonathan Schoop hit his dramatic three-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Orioles an 8-7 win.

Miley was on quite a roll before the trade, allowing six runs in 19 1/3 innings in his last three starts.

"I was throwing pretty well before I got here," he said. "Obviously, a little hiccup the last one (Sunday). The first two I thought were fine. Even the last one, a lot of ground balls squirting through the infield. I didn't think there was a whole bunch of hard contact other than the (Hunter) Pence home run. Just got to manage innings better.

"I think I'm close to where I need to be to help this team. I've just got to do a better job of managing the beginning."

Miley could get an incomplete score on his first start based on the comebacker, but manager Buck Showalter already might have committed to his bullpen.

"My pitch count was pretty high at that point, so I'm not sure what Buck was going to do, but once again, there were a couple dumpy hits," Miley said. "Like (Shin-Soo) Choo, I remember the ground ball to first base and Choo shielded CD (Chris Davis) and that's a tough play. You tip your hat to Choo for doing what he did. And then the bloop hit after that, we were in the game and they scored two quick ones right there. But I think I'm throwing the ball well and just keep grinding."

Miley has changed organizations before, so you'd assume that he'd be immune to pressure, to stressing over the need to make a fast impression on teammates and fans. However, he's working under unique circumstances for him.

"I think a little bit more because this is the first time I've been traded in the middle of the year, so it is a little different," he said. "I came in and had some jitters, but the guys have been great. They opened their arms to me, so I'm just going out there and trying to give us a chance to win."

Miley has faced the Astros twice this season, allowing two runs and five hits in six innings on May 5 and two runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings on July 4. He's 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in six career starts.

The current group is batting .329 (24-for-75) against Miley, led by second baseman Jose Altuve, who's 11-for-18 with three doubles and a home run. Evan Gattis is 5-for-13 with two doubles and Marwin Gonzalez is 5-for-12 with two doubles and a home run.

Collin McHugh has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 10 of his last 11 starts, though he's completed seven innings in two of those outings. The Orioles collected three runs and eight hits off him in 5 1/3 innings on May 25, but they also struck out 10 times.

McHugh is 1-0 with a 4.74 ERA in four career starts versus the Orioles and 0-0 with a 4.38 ERA in two starts at Camden Yards, with six runs and 16 hits in 12 1/3 innings.

Manny Machado is 4-for-12 with a double against McHugh. Adam Jones is 3-for-12 with a home run, Steve Pearce is 3-for-7 with a home run, Davis is 2-for-8 with a home run, J.J. Hardy is 3-for-6, Mark Trumbo is 3-for-5 and Pedro Alvarez is 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs.