BOSTON -- Asked to assess how his time with the Orioles has gone since being acquired in a July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline deal, Wade Miley was in no mood to elaborate.

"Obviously, that's not really a good question," said Miley, who has an 8.41 ERA in eight starts with Baltimore, including a career-low four-out start in Monday's 12-2 loss to the Red Sox. "I mean, obviously hasn't been really good."

But is there something Miley, who has allowed 33 earned runs in 35 1/3 innings with the Orioles, can put his finger on?

"I don't know," Miley said. "I mean, if I knew, I wouldn't be in this position right now."

This position is a precarious one, especially with the Orioles' rotation having six starters with the return of Chris Tillman. Miley, who had never faced the Red Sox before in his career, allowed five first-inning runs and would then exit after loading the bases with one out. Vance Worley would eventually end the threat, but not before allowing an inherited runner to score and close the book on Miley.

"I watched some video and they caught me off-guard," said Miley, who admitted he felt like he was ambushed some by his former teammates. "I didn't [think] Dustin [Pedroia] was going to swing at the first pitch. I was just trying to get ahead right there and he got it. I made a pretty good pitch to [Xander] Bogaerts up and in, he was able to place it in a pretty good spot.

"Things kind of unraveled. I feel like everything I threw they just kind of hammered."

Miley, who went 11-11 with a 4.46 ERA with Boston last year and then was traded to the Mariners in the offseason, is 8-13 with a 5.80 ERA on the year. Twice in his past five outings he's been unable to get out of the second inning. Miley has had just two quality starts with the O's.

"I think command. He's struggling a little bit with his delivery, trying to find it," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Miley. "It's a tough time to be searching for it. It's there. He just hasn't been able to get to it, and tonight was an example of that. He's capable of better."