SARASOTA – An exhibition game against a World Baseball Classic team wasn’t going to smudge Trevor Rogers’ spring training line or ruin his mood. Today was akin to a glorified workout. The veteran left-hander got his ups and had no worries.

Rogers was charged with six runs in 2 1/3 innings after twice exiting prior to the final out. The last run against him scored while he was in the dugout.

The Grapefruit League ERA holds at 0.00 after two starts covering five innings.

Rogers allowed six hits, walked one batter and struck out four. He surrendered two home runs and bumped his pitch total to 58.

“I told (Drew) French when I came out, I don’t care what the scoreboard says. I thought I got some good work out there,” Rogers said.

“One of the goals today was work out of the stretch a little bit more and I definitely did a lot of that.”

Ray-Patrick Didder entered the Netherlands’ lineup shortly before first pitch after ESPN reported that Jurickson Profar faced a 162-game ban for a second failed test for performance-enhancing drugs. Didder, who plays for the independent Winnipeg Goldeyes, responded with a leadoff home run on a Rogers sinker.

Rogers threw 24 pitches in the inning because shortstop Jeremiah Jackson and third baseman Bryan Ramos committed errors. Xander Bogaerts reached on an infield hit and Rogers walked Hendrik Clementia, but he also struck out Didi Gregorius and Sharlon Schoop on sweepers.

Didder doubled to right-center field in the second after a pair of Rogers strikeouts, on a fastball and changeup. Druw Jones had reached on a wild pitch, with Samuel Basallo unable to throw him out at first. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a towering fly ball to left-center, with a 41-degree launch angle, that fell on the other side of the fence for a three-run homer and a 4-2 Netherlands lead.

The sloppiness prompted Pete Alonso to gather the infielders on the mound for a quick meeting. He did the talking.

“It was huge,” Rogers said. “I wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing. I thought he saw something, I was tipping pitches, but he was sort of like, we aren’t playing with the energy we need to play, and coming from a veteran like that on March 3, really hammering down like, we need to play with energy … Especially days like this, it’s really tough to get the body going, get yourself ready, the adrenaline pumping. So coming from a leader like that, he’s gonna help us a lot, especially really telling us we need to pick up the slack, especially in a game like this.”

Rogers came out after throwing 39 pitches in 1 2/3 innings, but he returned for the third inning and gave up another run on an infield single, stolen base, throwing error on Basallo and bouncing single up the middle from Schoop.

Ozzie Albies homered off Tyson Neighbors in the second after Rogers left.

Didder was 3-for-3 through the third inning after greeting Joe Glassey with a double. Rafaela’s two-run double completed Rogers’ line.

“It was just one of those days, they were seeing everything, so tip your cap,” Rogers said. “I think we accomplished a lot of good things as far as going from Plan A to Plan B, as far as pitching in different ways to kind of get them off heaters. I still like where I’m at. If that’s the worst it’s gonna be on March 3, I’ll take it.”

Pitch mix tinkering is part of the exhibition plan. Rogers didn’t attack the same way that he might in the regular season.

“During the course of the year that’s going to happen,” he said. “I think I could have been a little bit quicker going to Plan B, mixing some spins early in counts just to get them off that fastball. But that’s what spring training is for. Make those adjustments the next time out there.”

Because the stats aren’t official, Alonso’s home run total stays at two after his two-run shot to right field off left-hander Ryjeteri Merite in the bottom of the first.

Taylor Ward walked with one out and stole second base.

Alonso led off the fourth with a single before Creed Willems replaced him at first base.

Jackson hit an opposite-field home run in the fifth.

Yennier Cano left the bases loaded in the top of the fourth after two singles and a walk. He got strikeouts with his splitter and slider and was done after 27 pitches.

Dean Kremer made his last appearance with the Orioles before joining Team Israel and retired the side in order in the fifth. He allowed a pair of one-out singles in the sixth and induced a double play bouncer.

Shane Baz starts Wednesday against the Astros in Sarasota, and Zach Eflin makes his exhibition debut Thursday against the Rays in Port Charlotte.

Update: Kremer tossed four scoreless innings in the Orioles’ 8-5 loss. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out two, and he was stretched out to 53 pitches.

Cobb Hightower committed the Orioles’ fourth error of the day in the seventh, but Kremer stranded the runner.

“The progression’s been great with him with our pitching coaches,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “He looks like he’s ready to go, so we’re excited for him to go pitch.”

Left-hander Grant Wolfram had another scoreless inning and two more strikeouts, and his sinker topped at 97.6 mph.

Wolfram kept throwing sinkers and then struck out Druw Jones looking at a curveball to end the top of the ninth.

The Orioles loaded the bases in the sixth and José Barrero drove in two runs with a single. Reed Trimble doubled in the inning.

The early mistakes irritated Albernaz.

“Sloppy game. It was a sloppy game to start,” he said.

“It’s frustrating. We’ve got to be better. That’s not indicative of who we are. We’ve got to be better on defense. … Our guys have been working hard. It’s not the work. It’s just the attention to detail, even when the game starts. Our guys are aware of it. We’ll make the adjustment.”

Albernaz was pleased that Alonso called time and talked to the infielders, another sign of the leadership that the first baseman brings to the team.

“He was seeing the same thing we were all seeing,” Albernaz said. “Just for him to be our leader and bring everyone in, calm everyone down, that was good to see.”

Albernaz also was asked about Rogers.

“Rogers’ stuff was really good,” Albernaz said. “He had to get more outs than he should have, but he looked really good. Fastball was crisp, breaking ball, in the strike zone. He looked great.”