masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgCHICAGO – Orioles manager Buck Showalter is giving outfielder/designated hitter Mark Trumbo a day off today, at least at the start of this afternoon’s game. Trumbo is batting .267 with a league-leading 31 homers and 77 RBIs. He is batting .140 (7-for-50) over his last 13 games.
“He hasn’t had one (a day off) this year,” Showalter said. “I’m trying to get him, CD (Chris Davis), J.J. (Hardy), Adam (Jones) if I can. Trying to give everybody a day on this trip, if I can. I talked to three or…

CHICAGO – Orioles manager Buck Showalter is giving outfielder/designated hitter Mark Trumbo a day off today, at least at the start of this afternoon’s game. Trumbo is batting .267 with a league-leading 31 homers and 77 RBIs. He is batting .140 (7-for-50) over his last 13 games.

“He hasn’t had one (a day off) this year,” Showalter said. “I’m trying to get him, CD (Chris Davis), J.J. (Hardy), Adam (Jones) if I can. Trying to give everybody a day on this trip, if I can. I talked to three or four guys today. I think he’s had some challenges against (James) Shields too, so it kind of worked out.

“I really want to get Stevie (Pearce) two or three days (playing) in a row if I could. I don’t want to think we brought him over here just to hit off left-handed pitching. He had three good at-bats last night with nothing to show for it. What a play he made on (Avisail) Garcia last night. We almost got out of it too. Most outfielders sit back on that ball. To come get that ball takes a lot of gumption.”

Showalter was asked if Dylan Bundy can handle some extra attention he is now getting after taking no-hitters into the sixth inning of back-to-back starts.

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“I don’t know,” Showalter said. “We’ll see. It’s a different degree of it up here. Obviously he had to deal with a lot of notoriety from the draft, but it’s a whole different level up here. Dylan’s very grounded. I think he savors every moment he gets up here. Because he knows how fleeting it all can be. I think there is just a little different degree of it and the constant-ness of it. I tell them all the time, if you weren’t doing something important than you wouldn’t be critiqued or talked to all the time. It’s like autographs, when you have to worry is when they quit asking.”

The New York Yankees today announced they are releasing Alex Rodriguez. He will play his final game with the club Friday and then become a special instructor and advisor with the organization. In 2003, when Rodriguez hit 47 homers and drove in 118 runs for Texas, Showalter was his manager.

“Alex loves baseball,” Showalter said. “It’s going to be tough. He’s got a wealth of experience to take to the next level. I think he’s been on both sides of the mountain. I think he’s going to be real good at what he’s getting ready to do. It was an honor to manage him. He had an MVP year with me and we weren’t real good. He was always engaged in the game and the competition.”

Showalter said he had yet heard anymore from the league office on the replay reversal last night that led to a run in the seveth inning.

“I stil haven’t figure it out. It definitely hit Manny’s glove,” Showalter said. “But if you don’t have a definitive replay shows it is fair or foul after it hit Manny’s glove. The foul line, it doesn’t matter where it hit on his glove. I’d just love to hear that explanation. It definitely wouldn’t stand up in a court of law right. How do you prove there is something different if it hit the glove?”