DETROIT — Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that two-plus years without a stretch like this for reliever Mychal Givens is the main reason the team isn’t concerned with his slow start to this season.

After two scoreless outings to open the season, Givens has allowed an earned run in four of six since, including a run on a hit, a walk and a wild pitch in Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

“I’ve got to tell you, there’s such a fine line between empathy and sympathy for us,” Showalter said. “Pitching, hitting, defense — it’s a challenge with the weather. Mike, I think he’s built up a lot of cachet and track record. I think we’ll like where he is when it’s all said and done. It’s just not there for him right now. I don’t think he’s quite got the feel command-wise that he’s going to have or have in the past. What do you do? Not pitch him? We know what he’s capable of, and you keep getting him out there. He’ll figure it out.”

Givens has had his bright spots, including two stellar shutout innings punctuated by a great play at the plate in the extra-inning win over the New York Yankees on April 6. But he has a 6.52 ERA after Tuesday’s appearance. His fastball is still averaging over 95 mph, so there’s no concern on that front, but he’s found it difficult to command his pitches in these environs.

“Mychal will figure it out,” Showalter said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in him. He’s healthy, he’s throwing the ball as firmly. You see a lot of velocities down in baseball in general. ... Mike’s not. It’s just the feel for the breaking ball isn’t there yet.”

Showalter addresses league-leading strikeout totals: No team in baseball has struck out more often than the Orioles, and Showalter said Wednesday that the ideal would be to bring all those numbers down to zero.

“We’d like to not ever strike out,” he said. “If you’re getting a return, in other words, if you’re scoring runs. But we’re not getting enough runs to win games that we pitch well in. That’s always a true sign. I don’t really care what’s happening all over baseball. I care about what’s happening here. It’s something everybody is concerned with. It’s kind of how the game is played.”

With 189 strikeouts through 17 games and a strikeout rate of 28.5 percent, the Orioles offense has had major problems putting the ball in play. Their .215 average entering Wednesday tied for second worst in the majors. Tim Beckham and Chris Davis are among the league leaders in strikeouts.

Showalter said plenty goes into that, but he hit back at the sense that it was a problem with making adjustments.

“All hitters do that,” Showalter said. “It’s a game of constant adjustments, from pitch to pitch, at-bat to at-bat, game to game, to [Francisco] Liriano then another relief pitcher then another relief pitcher and another relief pitcher. Things are thrown at you every day.

“That’s why hitting is so hard to do. I still think it’s one of the hardest things to do in sports. You couple that with a lot of the conditions, and it’s hard. Guys are trying to make the adjustments. It just hasn’t happened. I see all the work that goes into it every day. You’d like to see them get a return for the amount of effort they’re putting into it. Sometimes, it’s hard to get out of your own way.”

Showalter longs for Trumbo’s return: Though he wouldn’t elaborate on the plan to get slugger Mark Trumbo (quadriceps strain) back onto the field in rehabilitation games, Showalter said he was reminded of what the 2016 major league home run king could bring during batting practice on the field Tuesday. “I was watching him take BP yesterday,” Showalter said. “It’s pretty impressive. It’s just a reminder of what he can do and what we’re missing. [Head athletic trainer Brian Ebel] and I have thought on a best-case scenario when he can start things up again, but we’ll see how things go on the homestand. It’ll be nice to get him back.”

Trumbo had a rehab stint at Double-A Bowie cut short April 10 after he didn’t feel right in his first game back.

“I wouldn’t put a date on it,” Showalter said. “The last little [thing] is kind of pushing and busting out of the batter’s box, quick burst. He’s not quite there yet.”

Rasmus in Florida: Showalter said outfielder Colby Rasmus, who has been out with a hip injury since April 7, is now rehabbing in Sarasota, Fla., without much progress. “Slow,” Showalter said. “There was some thought about an injection, but looking at the history and the healing process that’s going on there — that’s an old surgery site — we feel like he’s going to be OK without the injection.”

Schoop update: Showalter said second baseman Jonathan Schoop (oblique) is improving, though the Orioles have to be cautious not to test it too hard and risk making it worse. “Schoop’s managing well,” Showalter said. “That’s obviously a tough injury to decide, but we’re hoping we don’t get the long oblique recovery. We think we’ve got a chance for it not to be the month-and-half, month. It’s less than that, we hope.”

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