NEW YORK - -Orioles manager Dave Trembley said the club hasn't discussed sending struggling reliever Chris Ray to the minors, but he likely will be more selective in how he uses the former closer in the future.
Ray faced five hitters in the New York Yankees' seven-run seventh inning Tuesday, and all of them reached base and scored. That outing raised Ray's ERA to 8.53 and ignited more concerns about the right-hander, who didn't pitch in the majors last year after having ligament-reconstruction surgery on his right elbow.
"You have to be realistic," Trembley said. "The guy missed an entire year. He hasn't been consistent with his location, and that's probably a result of him not being consistent with his delivery. As far as his velocity and the life on his pitches and health-wise, that's OK. I think the other things are things we can work on and improve."
Orioles pitching coach Rick Kranitz said Ray's problems are mechanical and stem from his inability to find and maintain his proper arm slot.
"He's just not repeating his delivery," Kranitz said. "It's all over the board. He's in fast motion. He just has to relax and start making pitches. We have to get him in some less-pressure situations where he has some breathing room and the ability to make some mistakes and get through it. Every situation has been [tight], and maybe he's just not ready for it right now because he's just not locating the way he normally locates."
Ray strung together three consecutive scoreless outings before Tuesday, but he didn't pitch particularly well during that stretch. In his previous two outings, he walked five batters in 2 2/3 innings. Overall, he has allowed base runners in 13 of his 15 outings and runs in six of the 15 appearances.
Still, Ray said his confidence is fine and he feels as if he can work through his problems against big league hitters.
"It's just going to take me working at it every day," Ray said. "You have to do it. This is where I want to pitch. This is where I have to perform."
A dead issue?
When approached by a group of New York reporters before batting practice Wednesday, Orioles first baseman Aubrey Huff did his best Allen Iverson impression, mimicking the NBA star's famous "We're talking about practice" speech.
"We're not talking about a game. We're talking about a fist pump," Huff cracked.
Huff will face Joba Chamberlain on Thursday, less than two weeks after Huff celebrated a homer off the Yankees starter by doing two mock fist pumps.
