Roster move and wrapping up a 6-2 loss

NEW YORK - The Orioles will transfer catcher Matt Wieters to the 60-day disabled list to make room for pitcher Jorge Rondon, claimed off waivers today from the Rockies.

Rondon has been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Wieters went on the disabled list March 27 and still could be activated by May 26. As I wrote earlier today, he's scheduled to catch eight innings on Tuesday at extended spring training and nine on Thursday and Saturday.

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy was asked to sum up what he saw from the Orioles this weekend.

"We've got to do better," he replied.

Hardy won't get any arguments.

The Orioles again tied their season high by falling three games below .500 with today's 6-2 loss to the Yankees. They went 1-5 in New York and can't wait to board their flight home.

Hardy hit his first home run, a solo shot off Yankees starter Michael Pineda in the second inning that gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

"It's nice," he said. "I feel like I've been getting better with timing and everything over the last couple games. I was fortunate enough that he left one over the middle of the plate for me."

That might have been Pineda's only mistake. He struck out 16 batters over seven innings.

"He was nasty," Hardy said. "His ball's cutting all over the place. He comes out of the same slot. Slider looks like the cutter, changeup looks like the cutter. Just tough to pick up."

Asked whether guys were frustrated coming back to the dugout, Hardy replied, "Oh, yeah. Of course you're frustrated. Obviously, we're losing, striking out a lot. Yeah, it's frustrating for sure."

Pineda allowed a season-high five runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings on April 13 at Camden Yards, but he was a different pitcher today.

"He was good, he was good today," Hardy said. "He's always good, he's got good stuff, but he was commanding all three pitches. It's deceptive. He's a giant out there so he looks like he's even closer than he really is. He was tough today."

Bud Norris still was under the weather, and he allowed four runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings.

"Not an excuse, but I definitely didn't feel the best out there," he said. "I had a lot of stomach stuff and some things, so I'm going to try to get home, get some rest, put some fluids in me. I've been battling the stomach thing. I really wanted to go out there and give everything I had. Unfortunately, we came up on the short end today. It's a little frustrating because we know we're a good ball club and unfortunately we're in a tough patch.

"I've never really pitched like that before, feeling that bad, but you're just trying to get one out at a time and believe me, I was just one pitch away. I thought my stuff was pretty good. I was really trying to work with Caleb (Joseph) and he came out a couple of times and tried to slow me down and give me a breath. It's just really frustrating. That's all I can say."

Norris didn't want to skip his start and tax the bullpen, so he tried to fight through it.

"I think that's up to Buck (Showalter) and everybody else," he said. "I know that that messes everybody up, too. It pushed U (Ubaldo Jimenez) back and it pushes (Chris) Tillman back and we're really trying to get on a five-day rotation. I was on nine last time with all the stuff going on around us. It's a little different. But I'm trying to help the team, not hurt the team any way I can. It's a little frustrating.

"You never want to take the game out of your hands and leave it in someone else's hands, but I thought there were a couple calls that could have gone my way, a couple of plays that could have gone my way. The ball's just not bouncing our way right now and it's frustrating, but this team has a lot of grit and a lot of grind. We've got to get back to it.

"We're excited to go home. I can tell you that. We haven't been home for a while and to be back in Baltimore with our fan base, that's going to be huge for us."

Norris will try to put this start behind him while recovering from his virus.

"I'm going to have to," he said. "I had some really good stuff today, but fatigue-wise and with everything else, my stomach and everything, it just wasn't there. I'm really going to wash this one out, but I know I'm making strides and I know our staff is, too, so I'm going to pick my head back up and get out there."

Showalter agreed that Norris was dealing with the carryover effects of his illness.

"It's a challenge," he said. "It's three innings, results were good. You could tell. He had a lot of counts in his favor the last inning, just couldn't quite put somebody away. That's a tribute to them as much a negative for him."

Showalter will grade Norris on the curve, knowing he wasn't at full strength.

"Somewhat," he said. "We were aware he may not be 100 percent going in there, but better than I thought he would be. Taking into account there in the fourth inning, he threw a lot of pitches there. We were hoping to get five innings out of him. It was a challenge bullpen-wise, trying to get through the game and have somebody long tomorrow. That was a challenge."

Pineda provided the biggest challenge.

"Oh, he was good," Showalter said. "He's been good for most of the year. He had a couple of things working in his favor. Obviously, the biggest one was his stuff. We obviously struck out a lot."

Showalter seemed more irritated by his own pitchers.

"Eight walks and two hit by pitch," he said. "That bothered me more than anything. Strikeouts obviously are frustrating."

The Orioles made two mistakes in the outfield. Alejandro De Aza broke in on Jacoby Ellsbury's ball, which sailed over his head for a two-run double, and Delmon Young missed the cutoff man, allowing Chase Headley to race home after holding up at third base.

"I'd have to look at it," Showalter said of De Aza's play. "You guys have a better look. One of the worst views in this park in the dugout. It's not very well-designed.

"Sometimes it's not that you broke in and broke back, it's that you didn't break back initially. That's a tough ball at you. I've seen him make that play. He didn't today."

Turning his attention to Young's throw, Showalter said, "If you're able to get the ball into J.J.'s hands, then we've got a lot of options to us. I think Delmon going glove side, having to spin, he wouldn't have had a play at the plate, but he had a play at third. He would have if he kept going. I think the trail runner saw that he stopped going into third, but the decision-making (Young) has to make in the outfield is not catch a ball and see what the third base coach is doing.

"Delmon's been playing as good a right field as you want to see. He played solid right field for us the whole trip.

"If they keep sending him there, there's an out at third. It's a hindsight thing. He made a decision. The reality of it is when he had to make it. That certainly didn't beat us. Eight walks, two hit by pitch. Delmon's been playing solid."