masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles won last night despite being shut out for the first 11 innings and falling behind by a run in the 12th. They didn’t score through nine innings tonight and weren’t nearly as fortunate.

“We’ve got to figure it out. Just because we’re facing good pitching…that’s why they call it the major leagues. You’ve got to figure it out,” said manager Buck Showalter.

Gary Thorne asks Buck Showalter about the O’s tough 3-0 loss to the Rays

Jeremy Guthrie turned…ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles won last night despite being shut out for the first 11 innings and falling behind by a run in the 12th. They didn’t score through nine innings tonight and weren’t nearly as fortunate.

“We’ve got to figure it out. Just because we’re facing good pitching…that’s why they call it the major leagues. You’ve got to figure it out,” said manager Buck Showalter.

Gary Thorne asks Buck Showalter about the O’s tough 3-0 loss to the Rays

Jeremy Guthrie turned in his fifth quality start, allowing three runs over eight innings, but he’s 1-6 with a 3.98 ERA.

Asked to compare Guthrie’s stuff tonight to his previous starts, Showalter replied, “It was very good. He was the reason we had any semblance of being in that game. They got a swinging bunt from (Evan) Longoria and (Matt) Joyce put a good swing on a pitch. Of course, there wasn’t much margin for error there.”

That’s always the case with Guthrie. The Orioles have scored six runs in his last seven games while he’s been on the mound, and have been held scoreless in five of the last seven.

“We’ve talked about it,” Showalter said. “You don’t get to this level and do the things … pitching 400 innings the last two years without having the toughness to work through it. And he will. He won’t give in. Timing’s everything with something like that. He certainly doesn’t want to quit right now. I can tell you that.”

Guthrie has allowed six home runs in his last three starts after surrendering three in his first five.

“It may be situated because of the lack of runs that we scored,” Showalter said. “Not a whole lot you can do about the swinging bunt, but if you told me coming in that (Guthrie would allow) three runs in the major leagues, you’d like your chances, but (Jeremy) Hellickson obviously was in command. You never felt like you had him lined up. We just didn’t have many good at-bats off him.”