Vance Worley was upbeat about his outing against Boston (O's fall to Red Sox)

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP

Score: Red Sox 9, Orioles 5

Recap: Christian Walker and Joey Rickard continue to hit and push for opening day jobs with the Orioles. Walker unloaded a long three-run homer off lefty Henry Owens in the second. He has four homers and 14 RBIs and began today slugging .815. Rickard went 2-for-3 with a single and double and is batting .342. Paul Janish, hitting .308, plated a run with a sac fly. Dariel Alvarez, batting just .130 at gametime, went 2-for-4 with a triple. Starter Vance Worley allowed a three-run homer in the second and a three-run inning in the fourth. He gave up eight hits and six runs (four earned) and has a 6.75 spring ERA. Chris Lee replaced him and did not allow a hit over 1 1/3 innings. Qincy Latimore homered in the ninth.

Need to know: Rickard had one stolen base and was thrown out once. He stole second in the first, but was caught trying to steal third after his double in the fourth. Chaz Roe pitched a scoreless sixth and has a 3.38 ERA. Alfredo Marte went 0-for-4 to drop his average to .304. Boston scored three times in the seventh, with all three charged to Cuban lefty Ariel Miranda. He allowed two hits and two walks without recording an out. The Orioles fall to 3-12-3. Boston, now 6-10, snapped a seven-game losing streak. The game drew a sellout crowd of 10,015 at JetBlue Park.

On deck: Tonight, split squad vs. Twins in Sarasota, 7:05 p.m.
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FORT MYERS, Fla. - A case could made today that right-hander Vance Worley pitched better than his line showed, and Worley sounded like he would agree with that notion during his post-start interview this afternoon.

He was an out away from two shutout innings to start the day against Boston. But a three-run homer followed a single and double. Some soft hits and an error didn't help him during Boston's three-run fourth. The Red Sox lead 6-4 in the seventh.

"Overall I thought, the ball was coming out really well and I was doing what I needed to do," Worley said. "(Working) both sides of the plate. Mixing speeds, moving the ball. The only one pitch I wish I could take back was the home run. Should have gone with something with more movement than just trying to get it over."

Worley allowed a three-run shot to Sam Travis in the second. He allowed two singles to start the fourth and Christian Walker's error at first loaded the bases. All three runs would score, but just one run was earned.

Worley went 3 1/3 innings, alllowing eight hits and six runs (four earned) with no walks and one strikeout. He threw 66 pitches, 46 for strikes. He felt his stuff was solid during that fourth inning.

"That inning, I probably had my best stuff, being able to move the ball around," he said. "They just hit it where my guys weren't. There were some tough breaks in there, but you know it is all part of the game. It will even out over the course (of the year). I'm not going to beat myself up over it."

Worley figures to be among the candidates to gain a starting rotation spot if the projected five from earlier don't all head north with the Orioles.

"I've always been a starter," he said. "A competition, if that is what they want to make it, that's fine. I'm going to give my best effort no matter what. If I get a spot, I get a spot. But I just want to help the team out.

"Results are good. But you obviously want to throw the ball well to get those results. If you are getting results and the ball is up and over the plate, realistically during the season, that gets hammered. So being able to keep the ball down, pitch to both sides of the plate and keep hitters uncomfortable and guessing is what I do.

"I feel great. Overall I thought everything was coming out of the hand well. Guys were staying off balance and they were having to guess so I'm doing exactly what I need to do."