Showalter pregame on the lineup decisions and Rule 5 pitchers

HOUSTON - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is not in the starting lineup today against Houston left-hander Dallas Keuchel.

Davis is 1-for-8 in this series and 1-for-20 (.050) with no homers or RBIs on the season. He was 0-for-5 last night with four strikeouts after having struck out just once in the season's first four games.

Manager Buck Showalter said Davis is fine physically after he dealt with a right forearm/elbow issue during spring training.

So just a day off for Davis?

"For the most part," Showalter said. "It's a good day for Chris to take a little blow, back off and kind of reboot tomorrow. Other than normal wear and tear (he's fine physically). I'm always concerned with the forearm/elbow thing that we want to not get ahead of ourselves and understand that that was an issue (during spring training)."

Craig Gentry is starting in center field today and batting ninth. Adam Jones is in the lineup, hitting cleanup, but as the designated hitter. Showalter wants to give Jones more down time this year.

"I don't want to wait until Game 110 with Adam," he said. "We talked in the offseason and again in the spring. I want to get ahead of things. I want to DH him more and give him some days off as he's getting older at such a demanding position. He feels fine."

Showalter talked today about Rule 5 pitchers Pedro Araujo and Nestor Cortes Jr. They combined to allow five runs in the last of the seventh last night as Houston broke a 5-5 tie and won 10-6. Josh Reddick hit a grand slam off Cortes. It was a tough night for the young pitchers. Now they need to try and bounce back fast today.

It is one thing for vets like Darren O'Day or Brad Brach to regroup after a tough outing, but it figures to be quite different for such young and inexperienced pitchers.

"That is a challenge," the skipper said. "In the American League if you are on a staff with a seven-man bullpen, you're going to pitch. You can protect them more if you get deeper starts. Last thing you want to do though is overtax the bullpen in the first week in April.

"But it's a challenge. It is. And that is why there is more to. Analytically, you do certain things on pitchers, but the other part of it you're talking about, you know that is one reason I wanted to acquire Darren back when is because I knew he brought that (leadership). It's a challenge when you don't have that track record beyond A-ball or Double-A."

Showalter said the vets in the 'pen quickly were there last night to provide some leadership for Araujo and Cortes.

"They've already been there (helping them)," Showalter said. "They were doing it last night when they came off the field. Sometime, as a coach or manager, you can get in the way of letting the players take care of that. I think it means a lot more coming from the peers. Sometime you need to get out of the way and let it run its course."

Right-hander Alex Cobb is making his third start in a simulated game this afternoon in Sarasota. After this outing, he'll have his workday either Friday or Saturday and then the club will decide whether his next start is in Florida or with the Orioles. He could be in the majors as soon as Monday, which would be his next scheduled day to pitch. Mark Trumbo, who is on the disabled list and also in Florida, will be one of the batters to face Cobb today.

Double-A Bowie announced its season-opening rotation. Lefty John Means starts on opening night tomorrow at home versus Harrisburg. He'll be followed by Jordan Kipper, Keegan Akin, Christian Binford and Hunter Harvey. The Orioles will hold Harvey to three-inning outings early in the season.