Tyler Wilson on his recent struggles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter doesn't want to call it a "dead-arm period," one of the more common terms tossed around in spring training. And if you've got it, you should probably limit the amount of tossing.

Zach Stewart was the latest hurler to lose the crispness on his pitches, giving up an RBI double and grand slam Wednesday after replacing Ubaldo Jiménez in the fifth inning. Showalter made the same observation about Tyler Wilson, who allowed one run in his first two outings over five innings, but has lost his effectiveness in his last two games.

Wilson surrendered four runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays and four runs and four hits in two innings against the Rays. And he wonders whether his offseason adjustments, aimed at improving his endurance over the summer, are impacting the quality of his pitches and what hitters are doing with them.

"I came into this spring training a little different than years past," he said. "I was just trying to be proactive to the way last year went, so I guess being a little more than a month behind schedule from where I was the last few years, I feel a little different this spring training.

"It's definitely frustrating on my end just mentally because I know that physically I'm going to be better for it in the long run and maybe healthier down the stretch and stronger later. But right now it is a little frustrating to not really feel at the peak of your game.

"The last couple outings I felt good mechanically, I felt good rhythmically, and obviously working on things in spring training, but the results have been really poor. And that's a byproduct of maybe not necessarily having the finish on some pitches that I will have when I'm at full speed, but I don't want to make any excuses and I really want to be committed to the choices that we made to take a little extra time off. I think my body will be better for it in the long run."

But how long is Wilson's leash?

Once believed to be competing for a long relief role, Wilson has entered the competition to replace Chris Tillman in the rotation. He doesn't have the luxury of saying results don't matter, and it's a concern for him.

"Yeah, absolutely," Wilson said. "That was something that I really felt like I had to evaluate and make a choice. The way I feel, I feel like I can go out there and compete whether I'm at 100 percent or 50 percent physically, wherever I am, and that's no discredit and it's not saying anything about me.

"The way I go out there, I pitch to contact in the first place and I'm a control/command guy and even if I don't feel good I'm going to have the ability to throw strikes and command the zone. But along with that, taking time off, it takes a little time to find the feel for the breaking ball and find your spin, the feel for a changeup for strikes and out of the zone. And that's coming, that definitely is coming.

"I feel better, but it's just not quite where it needs to be, so there were a lot of counts (Tuesday) I was really forced into working on that breaking ball or work on spinning it for a strike and spinning it out of the zone and I put myself in some tough counts because of it. And if I have to do that to put myself in some tough situations to work on it and put it in play, then that is what it is. I'll just have to kind of take my lumps and move on."

And try not to head over to minor league camp.

I'm covering today's B game against the Pirates at 10 a.m. on the Camden Yards replica field. Mike Wright is starting and Pedro Álvarez is playing right field. Mark Trumbo, Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy will get at-bats as the designated hitters, however that's going to work.

Steve Melewski flew into Tampa last night and will handle the Grapefruit League game against the Pirates in Bradenton, with Gabriel Ynoa on the mound for the Orioles.