Notes on Trumbo, Avery, the rotation and Wieters

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Mark Trumbo is heating up as the Orioles steadily improve their win total in spring training.

Trumbo went 1-for-3 with an RBI single on Thursday in Sarasota and was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs last night in Tampa. His average has climbed to .297 in 12 games, with two home runs and eight RBIs.

The strikeout total has risen to 13 in 37 at-bats and they were coming in bunches until late this week.

"The last two days, much better," Trumbo said this morning. "Kind of hit a lull there when I wasn't swinging at very good pitches, fouling off the ones I should hit. Only a matter of two or three games, whatever it was. I think I made a decent adjustment, I think."

Trumbo is keeping his head still, seeing the ball better and making solid contact.

"Trying to get the timing a little bit better," he said. "You can beat a dead horse with that. Sometimes you have to experiment out here with that. You don't have that luxury during the season. Try a few different things and see if something might work. You might have to give up a couple at-bats to do it, but it's pretty crucial to make the adjustments as we get a little bit longer here and ramp up for these in-season at-bats.

"It's very hard to think about (timing) in an at-bat, but you can't help but do it sometimes. I think it's a tough thing. It comes and it goes. If you're not where you need to be, especially in spring training, you've got to try to make the adjustments now because an 0-for is not the end of the world, but you've got to be ready in a couple of weeks when we get started."

Trumbo continues to work with hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh on those mechanics without letting it creep inside his head and take up residence.

"You try not to think too much about mechanics because it can be frustrating," he said. "There's a few basic positions that I really need to make sure I'm in to give myself a chance. I think I try to (stick) really close to him because obviously we're new to each other. A few of the staples have helped me and then he can look for them."

Most guys are ready to start playing the real games, having grown tired of the whole spring training process. Trumbo, however, will gladly take more swings in Florida to better prepare himself for the regular season.

"That's kind of a person-by-person question," he said. "I feel like maybe a few more games would be beneficial, just to get a few more looks at different types of pitchers. Maybe a few sidearmers, something different. You want to get all the looks and maybe you'll face a string of lefties or something. The more pitchers you're exposed to the better prepared you'll be."

Trumbo has been part of some potent lineups, but the Orioles may top all of them.

"It's really hard to compare," he said. "Obviously, it does. Power-wise probably more so here, maybe significantly more. We'll know by the end of the season, but I think on paper we stack up favorably with anybody around baseball."

Trumbo sees a "huge benefit" in not having to be the guy in the lineup. He can do his part without the added burden of trying to carry the team each night.

"If you ever feel like you have to do more than you're capable of or if you don't quite have confidence in that guy behind you, it makes for a really tall task," he said. "You tend to really expand your strike zone and it just never works out well. You can only do what you can do, and it works much better if you can be yourself because the people around you are talented enough that you really don't need to do anything extra."

* Manager Buck Showalter indicated that outfielder Xavier Avery will miss more than just a couple of days due to a right hip flexor.

"It's going to be a little while with him," Showalter said.

* Chris Tillman and Tyler Wilson will pitch Sunday against the Rays in Sarasota. Kevin Gausman will start Monday against the Red Sox's Single-A team, with left-hander Jeff Beliveau pitching in relief in his first spring training game.

Mike Wright starts Tuesday against the Twins in Fort Myers while Ubaldo Jimenez pitches in a Triple-A game. Miguel Gonzalez and Vance Worley will pitch Wednesday against the Pirates in Bradenton.

Yovani Gallardo starts Thursday against the Pirates in Sarasota, Tillman starts Friday against the Yankees in Sarasota and Gausman starts Saturday against the Red Sox in Sarasota.

Showalter has targeted March 27 as the date when he starts lining up his rotation.

* Showalter said Matt Wieters could serve as the designated hitter at the minor league complex once he's cleared to play in games.

Wieters is taking live batting practice today. How many at-bats does he need to feel ready for opening day?

"The competitor in me says I'm ready to go right now," said Wieters, who's 2-for-12. "In spring training, I'd like to get as many as possible, but I think the throwing program going into it, getting the arm strong enough, is more important than maybe me getting in a game. We'll see how that goes once I get started.

"I was able to play in some games early and we had some long innings, so even when I caught six or seven innings, it felt like the legs were ready for a nine-inning game, which for a catcher is what you want to get."