SEATTLE -- It's the same team, even if it has a little more spring in its step. Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo held a closed-door meeting with his players Wednesday night, but he said he doesn't expect any profound differences on Thursday. He just wants to see more effort, even if that doesn't necessarily add up to a win streak.

"The meeting shouldn't have to make you play better. It really shouldn't," Perlozzo said in the hours before his team's series finale in Seattle. "I just wanted them to be aware of what I was seeing and that I didn't want to see it anymore. That doesn't mean, 'You better win.' It just means, 'Play hard.' That's all."

The meeting marked the first time all season Perlozzo had found fault with his team's effort, and it followed a 7-4 loss that was marked by sloppy play. The manager tore into his team after the game and talked freely to the media about the circumstances surrounding it. He said he wants to see his players pick each other up -- not drag each other down.

"As long as we put an effort out, I'm fine. If the other team beats us, [but] we try hard, that's the way it's supposed to be," he said. "Good teams try to help each other out. That's all there is to it. We're going to send Rodrigo [Lopez] and [Bruce] Chen back out there, and both of those guys are struggling.

"As good teammates, we should try our very best to get them out of their funk so that they can come back and help us. Good teams should realize that and try their best to be on top of the game."

If you ask around the clubhouse, the players understand his perspective. They didn't necessarily think Wednesday night's game was as bad as it seemed, but they thought the timing was right to light a charge. The Orioles have lost four of their last five games overall and 13 of their last 16 on the road -- and they still have a weekend series looming in Los Angeles.

"It's just made to get everybody straight and to try to come back from the losing streak," said Javy Lopez, Baltimore's backup catcher and designated hitter. "It's something you normally do just to pump yourselves up and get back on track."

"You can't try harder -- you just don't try less," said veteran reliever Todd Williams. "There are obviously points in the season where you've got to tell yourself, 'Let's get it going.' Usually, that happens a little later in the season, when you start wearing down a little bit and you need your second wind. That's pretty normal.

"Right now, we're not in as bad shape as we could be, especially in our division. We had a little talk, and if we get guys back on their feet, you never know. We could be right back in this thing quickly."

Williams said the team had similar meetings last season, and he also said nobody was pouting or pointing fingers at each other. They absorbed the criticism collectively and hope to pull further together as the season goes on.

"You need those things at certain points in the year -- not to blast people, but to come in and bring up those points. Guys may be going through the motions and not even know it, but you kind of bring it to the surface," he said. "Sam's all about playing hard. If you play hard, he's got no problem with it. The wins will come.

"If you don't win and you play hard, what can you do about it? That's the point he's trying to get across."

Behind the mask: Lopez got his second start behind the plate in the last week on Thursday, and regular backstop Ramon Hernandez got his first career start as the DH. Hernandez said he hadn't served as DH since his days in the Minor Leagues, but he said it was a good opportunity to rest his legs.

"I'll come in here, ride the bike and stay loose. I'll just enjoy the game, I guess," Hernandez said. "As long as I'm in the lineup, no matter how, I'm happy. ... It's my job, and I've got to do it."

Hernandez has hit .311 (23-for-74) with six homers and 20 RBIs in May. He leads all American League catchers in home runs (eight) and RBIs (36), and he also ranks second in hits (49) and third in batting average (.312). Hernandez also leads the league in throwing out opposing base-stealers, but he won't allow himself to think about the All-Star Game yet.

"I think it's too early for that. There's a lot of games," he said. "I think, right now, I've just got to think about helping my team win. I'll do whatever it takes -- hitting, bunting, hit-and-run, anything. I don't really think about my stats, because if I'm thinking about my stats, I'm playing for myself."

Meanwhile, Lopez said he was pleased to be back behind the plate, but perplexed that it came without prior warning.

"Right now, I can't complain about anything. I'll do whatever they want me to do," Lopez said. "I like to catch better than DH -- of course, that's never going to change. But I'm kind of surprised because they normally tell me the day before. ... I guess I'll just have to check the lineup every day, because I don't know when I'm going to catch. I have to be ready."

Change of heart: One day after saying John Halama had earned another start, Perlozzo allowed circumstances to change his mind. After throwing just two innings Wednesday night, Kris Benson likely will pitch on Sunday -- one day before his scheduled turn. After that, an off-day will allow the O's to briefly stay in a four-man rotation.

"We're kind of leaning toward Benson right now, unless he went out and played catch today. If he said he didn't think he'd be ready to go, we'd probably flip it back," Perlozzo said. "We really wouldn't need a fifth starter until [June 3], I think, but I'm not really sure what the date is. Maybe by that time, if we got really lucky, maybe [Daniel] Cabrera would be ready."

Special guests: Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn were in attendance at Safeco Field on Thursday with their son Jack and his wife Elizabeth. Jack is trying to enter the family business and is currently running for a Senate seat in Nevada.

Quotable: "There were some things that went on that I didn't like, and it bothered me. I wanted to let them know it bothered me. That's all." -- Perlozzo, discussing the impact of Wednesday's meeting

Coming up: The Orioles will travel to Los Angeles for a three-game set against the Angels this weekend, and Friday's series opener at 10:05 p.m. ET will pit Chen against the Halos' Kevin Gregg. Chen has yet to win this season.