BALTIMORE -- The warm welcomes came for manager Brandon Hyde, Trey Mancini and nearly every Oriole in between during what was a joyous afternoon of pregame ceremonies Thursday at Oriole Park. But by the time the day ended in an 8-4 loss to the Yankees, one of the loudest cheers had gone to an unlikely recipient: Hanser Alberto.

The utility infielder, making just his fourth appearance for Baltimore, received a sizeable ovation as he strode to the plate in the eighth inning. Not because he did so representing the tying run, or because he'd eventually win a seven-pitch battle with Zack Britton by lining a single to right. But because Alberto was pinch-hitting for Chris Davis, who was booed regularly by the sellout crowd of 44,182 as his struggles from last year carry over into the 2019 season.

"I wasn't expecting it, but at the same time I heard it a lot last year and rightfully so," Davis said. "I said it before, I'll say it again: I understand the frustration. Nobody is more frustrated than me. Especially on a day like today."

By striking out thrice in three at-bats Thursday, Davis is now hitless in 17 at-bats across six games this season, with 11 strikeouts. He is 0-for-his-last-35 dating back to last season, when Davis finished with a .168 average and 192 strikeouts in what was statistically one of the poorest seasons in MLB history.

He reunited with old hitting coaches this offseason in Texas and reported to Spring Training early, consistently expressing his desire to turn the page. Davis acknowledged Thursday that has been difficult, and knows he will continue to be a lightning rod as he enters the fourth season of his seven-year, $161 million contract.

"I'm not going to start wallowing in my self-pity and feeling sorry for myself," Davis said. "Nobody is feeling sorry for me right now. People are ready to see me turn it around, and I'm ready to turn it around."

Thursday provided the first litmus test of how patient the public will be, and reopened questions regarding how much longer Hyde can continue with Davis in an everyday role. Davis has started six of the Orioles' seven games this year, batting seventh in Hyde's lineup each time. The skipper has also shielded Davis against tough lefties – sitting Davis against James Paxton last weekend and pinch-hitting for him twice now opposite Britton.

"I'm seeing a guy that is giving a great effort, it's just not happening right now," Hyde said. "I'm going to continue to stay positive with him, continue to support him, be there for him. We're working as hard as we can to get him off to the best start he can."

Davis started Thursday against Paxton, whom Jonathan Villar tagged for a leadoff homer during a three-run Orioles first.

Renato Núñez added an RBI single later in support of Alex Cobb, who returned from the injured list and left with a lead after tossing 5 2/3 innings in his season debut.

That margin evaporated when Mike Wright surrendered a three-run homer to Gleyber Torres in the sixth, Torres' second of the day and part of a four-hit game for the Yankees' shortstop. The Orioles were down a run when Davis was lifted for Alberto in the eighth, by which point the lukewarm reception Davis received pregame had soured. The boos culminated in his third and final at-bat, when Paxton recovered from a 3-1 count to get Davis swinging.

"It makes it a little tougher, especially having to hear about it all the time," Davis said. "That was really my main goal going into Spring Training, was really to turn the page and just focus on what lied ahead and try to forget about what had happened last year. It's been tougher to start the season, but there's a lot of baseball left to play."