Machado working on timing at the plate

HOUSTON -- Manny Machado entered Saturday's game against the Astros in a 1-for-18 slump, and while he wasn't alone in his struggles on the Orioles, the third baseman said it's been a work in progress to get his timing back following offseason knee surgery.

Machado went 2-for-4 with a pair of infield singles in Baltimore's 4-1 victory over Houston. He raised his average since he joined the O's on May 1 from .210 to .220.

"It's not mental," said Machado before the game. "I've got to keep looking for pitches I need to drive, pitches I can hit. Don't chase pitchers' pitches. That's what I'm doing right now. I'm going out and there and chasing pitches, instead of going back to my same approach and getting my base hits."

Manager Buck Showalter moved Machado down to seventh in the batting order earlier in the week, trying to take advantage of outfielder Steve Pearce's recent hot streak by moving him into the two-hole.

Machado said Saturday he agreed with the move.

"Definitely. I'm not producing up there in the lineup," Machado said. "Might as well put me lower in the lineup, let me catch my breath and get it going again. It's just a matter of keep fighting. We're about to get hot. We're struggling as a team right now. It's obvious. We've just got to keep grinding. The pitching staff is doing well. We've just got to put one and one together and get some wins."

Machado, who won the American League Platinum Glove award last year, has committed six errors and could still be dealing with the effects of not having a Spring Training. But neither he nor Showalter used that as an excuse.

"We're just trying to be patient for [Machado] to work his way back into it, but that's a challenge. You try not to break his ... He gets frustrated," Showalter said. "He hides it pretty well. He's the same body language, the same everything that he was last year, just not getting the return. And it's frustrating for him."