Wrapping up the Orioles' 9-5 loss to Boston

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter saw from the dugout what pitcher Vance Worley saw when he was on the mound today: a pitcher that hit many of his spots and kept the ball down.

But still Worley allowed a three-run homer and gave up eight hits and six runs (four earned) in 3 1/3 this afternoon as Boston beat the Orioles 9-5.

So he pitched better than that pitching line indicates?

"Oh, yeah," Showalter said. "Every night we play in conditions here that you never play in during the season. You have to really be cognizant of that when you make observations. He elevated very few pitches. One was a home run. The rest of them, he was down pretty good.

"Couple pitches (were not as good). Got a little tired at the end. We were trying to stretch him out and get him some pitches and innings under his belt. Might have gotten a little tired late, but thought he presented himself pretty well."

So did first baseman Christian Walker. Again. He did make an error at first base during Boston's three-run fourth. But he also hit a long three-run homer over the Green Monster in left. It came on a 1-0 pitch from Boston lefty Henry Owens in the second inning.

Walker is now batting .290 with four homers and 14 RBIs. His slugging percentage was .815 to start today. He has three-run homers in back-to-back games.

"Christian has had a solid spring," Showalter said. "Getting to see a lot of things that guys told me about. Managers, farm directors. Good to see. He's very relaxed and looks good at the plate."

Are we seeing a carryover from Walker's strong second-half in 2015 at Triple-A, when he slugged .515 with an OPS of .856 for Norfolk?

"Yeah. It was there the year before," Showalter said. "Sometimes there is a period where guys go through when they relax and let their skills take over. Christian has always had the ability to drive in runs. He's having a good spring. He's been ready to swing the bat from day one."

Showalter also talked about Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard, the outfielder who is now batting .342 after a two-hit day that included his second stolen base and his first caught stealing.

"We can't sit here and say we know as much about him as Tampa does," Showalter said. "He's getting a lot of at-bats and innings. He seems to have good instincts. His no and yes buttons seem to be pretty good so far. This is one stage. There is another stage that might await him. He's done well here and what we've thrown at him. He's shown why we took him."

Young lefty Chris Lee had a solid day on the mound. He replaced Worley and did not allow a hit or run in 1 2/3 innings. While he has a 9.53 spring ERA, most of that came when he gave up six runs (five earned) on March 5. In four games since then, he has pitched 4 1/3 innings allowing four hits and one run.

"Chris made some adjustments with the goggles, the glasses," Showalter said. "He's got a big arm. Good life, athletic. We seem to have caught him at the right time. A good acquisition by our guys. He's probably going to start in Double-A. He should be able to handle that level. There are going to be some exciting arms there."

Tonight the Orioles (3-12-3) host the Twins in Sarasota in the second part of their split-squad day. Game time is 7:05 p.m. with Mike Wright getting the start.