Two roster moves and wrapping up a 5-4 win

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles optioned outfielder Dariel Álvarez to Triple-A Norfolk this afternoon and reassigned pitcher Richard Rodriguez to minor league camp. They now have 55 players in major league camp, including 16 non-roster invitees.

Álvarez went 0-for-7 this spring and the Orioles want to convert him into a pitcher, but he's been resisting the change.

Rodriguez allowed a run and two hits and retired only two batters in the eighth inning today while pitching for the Dominican Republic. Sean Coyle singled and scored the go-ahead run on Audry Perez's single.

Joe Gunkel failed to record the save, allowing two runs to score in the top of the ninth inning, but the Orioles defeated the Dominican team 5-4 on Jefri Hernandez's throwing error and walk-off wild pitch.

Hernandez is in the Orioles' minor league camp, but they also lent him to the Dominican team.

Trey Mancini stood at the plate for the wild pitch after Johnny Giavotella walked, David Washington singled and Joey Rickard laid down a bunt that led to Hernandez's errant throw.

The game began with Manny Machado played third base for the opposition and Welington Castillo set up behind the plate. It ended with a whimper. And none of it counted - even less than a Grapefruit League game.

"That was weird," said manager Buck Showalter. "Bizarre."

What was the most bizarre element?

"Watching Manny play for another team. Not much fun," he said.

"It's not hard. I know how happy he is playing for the Dominican Republic. It means a lot to him. He was in great shape when he got here because of that and you saw his at-bats. He wanted to play every inning he could.

"I told Tony (Peña) today, you've got a guy who's ready to play. He's ready to play. So is Castillo. So I'm happy for them. I know it brings them a lot of pleasure."

Kevin Gausman allowed one baserunner in three innings, walking José Bautista leading off the second.

"Guys say it's spring training, I know where the finish line is, all that, but there's a little professional pride going on there," Showalter said. "These are guys he sees all year long and that's a great lineup. But he's been pitching well down here from the get-go. Really happy with him, he and Dylan (Bundy)."

Showalter said the game provided a little bit of a "pick-me-up" for a group of players who already feel like spring training lasts too long.

"We've been here a while," Showalter said. "Their energy, you can tell how much it means. I've been to the Caribbean World Series in all four countries, by design, and it should really hit you between the eyes how different the countries are and how important and passionate they are about baseball."

Showalter made sure to start catcher Francisco Peña today. Peña's father, Yankees coach Tony Peña, manages the Dominican Republic.

"Every time we go over to Tampa (in spring training), you notice I take him there and play him some," Showalter said. "I know he caught against the Yankees last year once or twice. You take it in. It's a big moment for him. Can you imagine if you were on the other side and your son was playing against you?"

Peña came out of the game in the bottom of the seventh.

"I had fun, especially controlling the game and the way that I did it," Peña said. "Gausman came on and threw the ball real well and all the guys who came after from the bullpen did great as well. I was having fun. The guys who were coming to hit, they were like, 'Hey, you've got to throw us fastballs,' and I said, 'Hey, you guys don't throw me fastballs when I'm hitting.' But I had a lot of fun. And the game should be played like that, having fun, no matter who you're playing with."

Tony Peña seemed to be enjoying himself.

"He was telling me, 'Hey, you've got to let that ball go through,' all those balls in the dirt. I blocked a lot of balls in the dirt," said Francisco Peña.

"He was very proud. I know that. He was very proud. He was very happy to see me compete the way that I did. For sure, we're going to talk about it over dinner tonight."

Brad Brach walked four batters in the sixth and exited after recording only two outs.

"He struck one guy out, but they didn't call it," Showalter said. "Just command a little bit off. Barely missing. He's saving his bullets against those guys.

"It's funny watching guys like Brad and Darren (O'Day) and Zach (Britton), when they're pitching to get work and there's a big margin there in the role they're normally in, they don't show (batters) the way they're going to pitch them. I remember Darren telling me one time he pitched Bautista completely different than he would if the score was close. He's going to save that look."

Brach finds relief, so to speak, in knowing that his walks and the two runs charged to him aren't included in the Grapefruit League stats.

"I was just missing," he said. "Everything was kind of just moving a little bit off the plate. That's what happens in spring training sometimes. My location isn't exactly there. Never want to go out and walk four guys like I did today, so it's not an excuse or anything like that, but I was right there and kind of got, I think, got my first adrenaline rush there a little bit when their crowd started to get loud when I was on the mound, so I just don't think I was ready for it. Just wasn't maybe expecting that adrenaline rush there in the middle of the inning. By that time, I wasn't able to throw fastballs for strikes and my off-speed wasn't there either, so that's pretty much what happens.

"I just knew I didn't want to go out there and get smacked around, so that was kind of in the back of my mind. It was time to just kind of amp it up a little bit. For me, this was like maybe my WBC and obviously I didn't do that well today, but it's spring training and I was just missing pitches and I think in the regular season my command would be a little better."

Hyun Soo Kim lined a two-run single into right field off left-hander Enny Romero in the third inning, a rare plate appearance for him against a southpaw.

"He's had a lot of good at-bats," Showalter said. "Kim's swinging the bat well. Having some deep counts, deep at-bats. He and Seth (Smith) have had some very similar at-bats, getting deep in counts, some walks.

"Kim had a lot of good at-bats today."

Showalter said he's going to lend the Dominican team two more pitchers for its game Wednesday against the Pirates in Bradenton.

Today's game drew 4,171 fans to Ed Smith Stadium.