Showalter: "As bad as it gets? I don't live in that world"

OAKLAND, Calif. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter was left again to sift through the extra-inning rubble last night and try to find a few nuggets. Anything with value.

He noted the outstanding performance turned in by starter Kevin Gausman, who worked a career-high nine innings and shut out the Athletics on two hits. He praised Mychal Givens, who retired all six batters faced with five strikeouts. The early returns on Mark Trumbo are favorable since coming off the disabled list.

Showalter isn't pretending that the emperor is wearing Dolce and Gabbana. But he can't wallow in self-pity. He won't overlook an orchid while being stuck by a rose's thorn.

"As bad as it gets? I don't live in that world," he said after a 2-0, 12-inning loss. "There's a lot of things going on in this world worse than that. No. It's tough. There's a lot of good things that happened tonight. We just didn't score one more run than they did. We had some opportunities and I'll take the positive out of it.

"That was, I thought, the best outing that Mychal's had all year and of course Kevin, too. When you can do things like that, it gives you a lot of confidence as you go forward. We're just struggling to put the whole game together."

The struggle to keep their heads above water has been replaced by the challenge of not swallowing the bay.

They're still tied with the Reds for the worst record in baseball. They've lost 11 of 13 games, 17 of 20 and 19 of 23. One more defeat today will make them winless on the road trip.

They struck out 20 times last night, the most since totaling 21 on Sept. 12, 1962 against the Senators. Two runners walk in the seventh inning and two strike out. A double and intentional walk in the eighth, and two strikeouts. A leadoff single in the 11th and three strikeouts.

(If it lessens the blow, five teams struck out 21 or more times in a game last season, so it's not just an Orioles thing.)

A single in the ninth, hit batter in the 10th and walk in the 12th also were wasted last night.

And this was after Trevor Cahill left the game.

"You do what you can, but Cahill obviously brought his game, too, tonight," Trumbo said. "It was slim pickings out there. There weren't a lot of pitches to hit. The pitching was really at the forefront tonight."

Trumbo had two more hits last night and is 7-for-21 since coming off the disabled list.

"Knock on wood, he's looked like Mark is capable of looking," Showalter said.

"When he gets on a pitch, nobody hits the ball any harder than him. I don't know what exit velocities and stuff, but he's got to be ... I know when I'm walking around during BP, I'm really watching the ball come of his bat because it's hard to get out of the way of it. But I know Mark, you can tell in his face that he feels good about where he is right now. Physically, the leg's not an issue anymore, knock on wood."

The Orioles might be getting the 2016 version of Trumbo. It's too early to tell, but as he put it, "So far, so good."

"I'm pleased with the results, personally, but obviously not for the team," he said. "But I think if we keep going out there, keep playing hard, we take pride in what we do. That's why we're here."