ST. PETERSBURG -- No one said it would be easy. The long rebuild the Orioles find themselves in has forced the tough task of teaching, developing and -- most important -- evaluating young players at the Major League level. Perhaps some were ready for the promotion. Some were not. But regardless, the opportunity is here for the taking. And as the losses pile up, Baltimore has the tough task of not letting the lopsided scores or rough pitching lines impact every decision.
"You've heard me talk a lot about spring and fall being a great fooler, and you can actually make a lot of mistakes on players negatively in something like this," manager Buck Showalter said prior to his club's 8-3 series-sweeping loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field.