Norris' consistency, command off in rough outing

BALTIMORE -- This wasn't how Bud Norris wanted to start his season. Tabbed to start the Orioles' home opener, the righty allowed more runs than he previously had in a Baltimore uniform.

"Frustrating," Norris said of his three-plus-innings outing, in which he was charged with eight earned runs in a 12-5 loss to Toronto. "It's not what I envisioned. It's tough to do that here at home and in front of my team. I'll take that one on me, for sure."

Norris wasn't crisp from the get-go, slogging through a 36-pitch first inning in which Toronto scored four runs. The right-hander, who posted a 9.26 spring ERA, exited after a pair of hits and a hit-by-pitch in the fourth.

"The slider wasn't breaking today," said Norris, who went 15-8 with a 3.65 ERA last season. "I got ahead on some counts and they put some good swings on some balls.

"I've got to get better. This is the first one of many. I take it with a grain of salt, but I've got to learn from it."

Of the seven hits Norris allowed, four were doubles. Manager Buck Showalter said the righty never got into a rhythm.

"He made some good pitches today, some quality pitches," Showalter said. "Wasn't consistent, never got into anything command enough to make them uncomfortable. He's disappointed. We swung the bats well enough to win or be in that game."