Slow start for Gallardo (Machado and Jones homer, O's win 8-7)

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP

Score: Orioles 8, Phillies 7

Recap: Xavier Avery drew a bases-loaded walk off Daniel Stumpf in the eighth and Paul Janish stroked a two-out, two-run single on an 0-2 pitch to give the Orioles an 8-7 lead. Yovani Gallardo served up three home runs, two to Maikel Franco, in 2 1/3 innings. He allowed five runs and four hits, with two walks and one strikeout. Manny Machado hit a two-run homer in a four-run third. Caleb Joseph had an RBI double and Ryan Flaherty had a sacrifice fly to deep right. Adam Jones hit a solo home run in the sixth. Odrisamer Despaigne retired the Phillies in order in the fourth and gave up two runs in the fifth. Darren O'Day allowed two hits and struck out three in the sixth. Brach loaded the bases in the seventh without allowing a run. Pedro Beato earned the save.

Need to know: Gallardo threw 57 pitches, 32 for strikes. His fastball hit 91 mph in the first after topping out at 89 mph in Clearwater. Franco had four RBIs in two at-bats. Nolan Reimold ignited the third inning rally with an infield hit. He walked in the seventh. Pedro Alvarez was 0-for-3. One run off Despaigne in the fifth scored on a wild pitch. Brach struck out two in the seventh. Former Oriole David Lough went 0-for-3 with a walk. The Orioles are 2-11-2. Today's attendance: 7,909, the fifth sellout of the spring.

On deck: Tuesday, vs. Blue Jays in Dunedin, 1:05 p.m.
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SARASOTA, Fla. - Two of the first three batters to face Yovani Gallardo today hit home runs to left field. Maikel Franco's ball traveled approximately 10 miles.

There must be something about Gallardo, the Phillies and the first inning.

Gallardo allowed three runs in the first in his debut in Clearwater and retired the side in order in the second. He'll need a clean frame today after Franco and leadoff hitter Tyler Goeddel ambushed him.

Gallardo threw 29 pitches, 16 for strikes. He walked Ryan Howard with the count full and struck out Jorge Alfaro looking.

Gallardo's fastball topped out at 89 mph in Clearwater. He hit 91 mph today, but was mostly 87 mph.

The Orioles are seeking their second Grapefruit League victory, but also keeping the record in its proper perspective.

"There's a lot of pride involved in it, but we also know the reality of how spring training works," said manager Buck Showalter. "Sometimes, it's how good are your six-year free agents? How good are the guys you bring over from the minor league games? That has a lot to do with it, too. If I wanted to have an unbelievable spring training record, I'd have J.J. (Hardy) play all the games. I'd have Adam (Jones) go to Dunedin, which is in itself not a good idea for any of those players.

"We'll get to that. That's why we designed the schedule like we did to be tough early. We knew we were going to get a lot of looks. Talking to (Steve) Tolleson and (Paul) Janish, they said they've never had this many at-bats in spring. That's why I think we've been pretty good at this the last four years or so, establishing our what-ifs and trying to make good decisions.

"There's going to be a lot of things happening on the waiver wire the last part of spring and we've got to go, 'OK, we don't feel good about this, this is better.' We've got a lot of things we've got to find out about people. Spring, you'd like to win every game. We had a game that wasn't much fun yesterday and it could happen again today, but you try to keep the end game in mind. But I understand. The perception isn't reality yet, but we'll see. The proof's always in the pudding. Nobody can rattle off their record this year that year, but why do we keep standings then?

"My focus is on my depth. I want to make sure we have some depth guys. It's like with (Matt Wieters), you're one day away from wondering if you're going have to make a move. We'll get Matt back and Jimmy Paredes back."

Showalter needs to get Miguel Gonzalez back to 2014 form. The right-hander has allowed six earned runs or more in two of his three starts this spring.

"The key for me when I see Miggy today is act like the day before," Showalter said. "You don't' think he beats himself up? Believe me, they do, so why should I pile on?"

Chris Davis is in today's lineup despite battling flu-like symptoms over the weekend.

"He's been sick for two days. Really, three days, and he's out here today. That's kind of what separates him," Showalter said.

"Chris is a lot more than just a strong guy. He works at a lot of things. He's very good at working on things he doesn't think he's good at. And he's a hard grader.

"I say it all the time. Can you imagine having that type of power every time you swing the bat and make contact, and strike out 190-200 times, how frustrating that must be? If you had that type of power at your fingers tips and you couldn't get to it that pitch, think about how frustrating that is. People miss how mentally tough he is. He's a mentally tough guy. Just because he doesn't wear it on his sleeve all the time, don't think he's not grinding inside when things don't go perfect every at-bat."

Mark Trumbo is in right field again today, as the Orioles continue the evaluation process. The defensive metrics aren't favorable, but Showalter is making his own judgment.

"I try not to come in with any preconceived ideas," he said. "I've had people tell me Steve Pearce was a DH only. Well, he wasn't. I've had people tell me that Ryan Flaherty couldn't play second base. Well, he can. Jonathan Schoop couldn't make the transition to second.

"I'll tell you what, there won't be many right fielders who throw better than him. We're always looking for a perfect player. He may not be able to do this, but he can do this. And if he hits enough balls where the grass doesn't grow ..."

Pedro Alvarez is serving as the designated hitter after playing first base yesterday in his Orioles debut.

"I've been impressed with how Pedro Alvarez is moving around at first and third," Showalter said. "This is a fresh start for him in a lot of ways. He was around some really good people in Pittsburgh. He's in a little bit different situation here mentally, so there's a window there for him and us to jump through. They've had a great atmosphere and culture in Pittsburgh. A lot of things we'd like to emulate. But I hope he's excited to be here. We're excited to have him.

"I think he's going to be more than a DH for us. I think Ryan (Flaherty) being here, too. They were roommates in college and Ryan has given us a lot of good information."

Update: Gallardo allowed three home runs in 2 1/3 innings, with Franco adding a three-run shot in the third to give Philadelphia a 5-0 lead.

Gallardo threw 57 pitches, 32 for strikes. He allowed five runs and four hits, with two walks and one strikeout. He paid a heavy price for elevating his pitches.

Update II: Manny Machado hit a two-run homer in the third after Caleb Joseph's RBI double and Ryan Flaherty's sacrifice fly.

Update III: The Phillies scored two runs off Odrisamer Despaigne in the fifth inning on a wild pitch and Andres Blanco's RBI double. The Orioles are down 7-4.

Update IV: Adam Jones hit his second spring home run, a solo shot in the sixth that reduced the Phillies' lead to 7-5.

Update V: Xavier Avery drew a bases-loaded walk off Daniel Stumpf in the eighth and Paul Janish stroked a two-run single on an 0-2 pitch. Orioles 8, Phillies 7.