Russell on the bullpen, an 18-game streak and more (O's down 5-2)

Orioles bench coach John Russell has substituted in the past for manager Buck Showalter. He isn't wandering into new territory.

His greatest challenge tonight?

"Make sure Buck has some pitching for tomorrow," he said.

"I think that's the big thing. Make sure Roger (McDowell) and I try to run the bullpen to where we feel like we've got a good opportunity for the next few days, because one game can affect a team for the next four or five games. We've had a little bit of struggles and our bullpen has been taxed a little bit, so trying to piece together where you keep guys as fresh as you can to make sure you have coverage for the next day.

"It's a little bit of a challenge sometimes, especially when your starters aren't giving you the type of innings that you'd like. You have to start using guys a little bit more and once in a while you start putting guys in situations that they're not accustomed to or they may not be ready for. We've had to call up some younger pitchers and they may not be quite ready for that, so it's a little bit of a challenge.

"Buck, I think, has done a great job with it. I think that's a challenge that we face every night. If Wade (Miley) goes out and does a good job tonight, it alleviates a lot of those issues for us and we go into Tampa with a pretty strong bullpen. With the off-day Monday, it can help us get back on our feet. If he struggles tonight, we're going to have to piece together another game to where we try to get through and keep ourselves in a position to win the game and use the pieces that we feel according to the score will keep us in the ballgame and try to win it.

"Being around Buck for so many years, we agree a lot on a whole lot of things as far as bullpen use. Back when I was with Pittsburgh, I like to really take care of the bullpen as much as possible. And Buck does a great job at it, so I've learned even more from him."

The Orioles will try to end their streak of allowing five or more runs at 18 games, an American League record and two shy of the major league mark set by the 1924 Phillies.

"For us, it's not fun, obviously and the players don't like it, but I've heard Buck say many times and we both talk about it, it's a tough game and our guys have responded in the past," Russell said. "We've had tough goes in the past. This is my seventh year here. We've had tough stretches. And Buck and I talk about it. You get in situations where you feel like you can't win a game and then you get in situations where you feel like you can't lose a game. You go through cycles with that.

"To get out of those cycles, obviously you need to pitch. I think we've shown a little bit more aggressiveness to our pitching, our starters. I think they're starting to hopefully turn the corner. I thought (Kevin) Gausman was a little bit better last night. He got through some innings and showed that his command was coming back a little bit. Wade's the same guy. That's what we need.

"So, frustration? It's frustrating not to win. Absolutely. Guys don't like it. But our club has been very resilient over the last few years and I haven't seen a lot of difference in how resilient they are. It's no fun when you go out and you look up at the scoreboard and it's 7-0 or 8-0 after two innings. You can't fault them for that. But these guys come out with a good attitude every day and go out and try to win the game. If we have an opportunity, we'll do what we can to win the game. And I think we've seen when we're in a game late in the game, we've got a really good shot at it. We've just got to keep ourselves close."

It all starts with the starters.

"If we can get our starters to go a little bit deeper to where we can get to some of the guys we want to later in the game, we have a lot better opportunity to win," Russell said. "It's tough to slug it out with teams every night. You're not going to score that many runs to overcome that every night. So defense and pitching have got to turn for us.

"We've had talks about it, Roger and I, and we've talked to the catchers about it, I think gradually we've seen some improvements. A lot of people want to say, 'Let's fix it. It's done. We fixed it yesterday and now we're going to rattle off 10-15 wins in a row.' Sometimes, it takes a little more time than that and that's not what people like to hear, but I think I've seen some progress and hopefully we can run with that.

"It's been a tough road, but we're still right there where we're playing meaningful games and that's all we can ask for going through a stretch like this."

With Adam Jones getting the night off unless needed late to pinch-hit, Craig Gentry is making his first start with the Orioles since May 12. They selected his contract two days ago.

The Orioles value his defense and baserunning and believe that he strengthens their bench.

"It's outstanding to have some guys who have some flexibility on your bench," Russell said. "Now with him and Joey (Rickard), it gives you flexibility with defense, it gives you flexibility to pinch-hit off a left-hander, it gives you flexibility to pinch-run. You can pick your spots. It just gives you options. And to be able to give Adam a day off - not that Joey can't do it - but Craig playing center field, we feel like he might have a tick more range. But it still lets you keep somebody like Joey, if he's not playing, you have a good piece on the bench. Whereas if Craig wasn't here and if Joey plays, not you don't really want to go to Adam until you have to late in the game for a pinch-hitter, play defense in the ninth. So you're kind of in a bind.

"Buck and I talk about it all the time. You get to the seventh inning, you look down and you've got options, it's a nice feeling. You look down and you're low on options, you kind of go with what you have out there and hopefully pull it off. I think having Craig around adds a lot of depth to our bench."

Russell was on a conference call last week with roving catching instructor Donnie Werner and top prospect Chance Sisco, who's 16-for-39 (.410) in his last 10 games at Triple-A Norfolk to improve his slash line to .285/.365/.404. He's batting .396/.484/.509 this month.

The Orioles know that Sisco, 22, is going to hit. The career .318/.398/.430 slash line in five minor league seasons provides a pretty strong clue. But the scrutiny always is going to center on his work behind the plate, which has improved after a slow start.

Russell, a former major league catcher, watched some video of Sisco.

"I think he's starting to kind of get a feel for it," Russell said. "We have to remember that he hasn't caught a ton in his life. By talking to him, I think he's got a little more confidence in what he's doing. I think catching in Triple-A, he's got a little bit of an older staff that I think, probably early, didn't know if they trusted him. But I think as the year has gone on, you can kind of look at the Triple-A staff numbers and I think they're probably going to trust him a little more because they didn't do it really well by themselves.

"I think he's doing a lot better. He's starting to swing the bat a little bit better, but talking to Donnie and talking to Chance, he feels a lot about his overall catching. From what I saw in spring training. he made huge strides. Huge strides. That's why we kept him so long, to try to get as much out of him as we could, and I thought he was right there and ready to really get it going.

"Sometimes, when you start the season, you have a little lull before you get going yet. But I'm really pleased with what he's doing. He sounds confident, which is good, and I think he truly loves to catch. You can hear it in his voice. He's doing a good job and I think he's really made a lot of progress, especially over the last three or four weeks."

Update: Seth Smith hit his sixth career leadoff home run and his fourth this season to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. They stranded two runners while working Indians starter Mike Clevinger for 28 pitches.

The Indians took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second on Austin Jackson's RBI triple and Yan Gomes' run-scoring single. No shutdown inning for Miley.

Update II: The Orioles tied the game in the bottom of the second on Jonathan Schoop's bases-loaded walk. Smith bounced into a 1-2-3 double play with the bases loaded and no outs, but Manny Machado and Schoop walked.

Update III: Can anyone get a shutdown inning?

Jackson's bases-loaded single with two outs in the third broke a 2-2 tie. Miley retired the first two batters, followed by a walk, single, walk and single. He's thrown 72 pitches.

Update IV: Richard Bleier replaced Miley in the sixth inning and Erik González homered with two outs to give Cleveland a 5-2 lead. The Orioles have allowed five runs or more in 19 straight games, one shy of the record.