TORONTO -- One day later, the 60-yard stare became fair game. Orioles manager Dave Trembley spent part of Sunday's pregame hours discussing Steve Trachsel's reaction to being removed from the game on Saturday. Trachsel, who had given up four runs in Baltimore's 9-5 win over Toronto, stared long and hard at his manager before leaving the mound.

Trembley expressed surprise that reporters noticed that from the press box, but he spoke about it frankly and said he would sit down with Trachsel and pitching coach Rick Kranitz to discuss it.

"I have a 24-hour rule," Trembley said. "I'm adhering to the 24-hour rule. But I would think that Kranny and I will discuss that on the plane tonight with Trachsel. We have to do what's best for Steve Trachsel, but we also have to what's best for the team."

"I was a little bit surprised," Trachsel said. "I figure I should be able to throw two innings and save everybody from having to get up in the bullpen."

Trachsel, a 14-year veteran, had pitched just once in relief before this season. But after losing his rotation slot, the Orioles elected to try him out of the bullpen in the hope he could salvage his season. Trachsel took to the role willingly and has dealt well with pitching sparingly, but Trembley has struggled to find appropriate times to use him.

The Orioles got a decent chance on Saturday, when Jeremy Guthrie and the offense handed the bullpen an eight-run lead. Trachsel came in for the eighth inning and left the bases loaded, but an error in the ninth led him to lose control. The Blue Jays scored four runs -- though only two of them were earned -- and Trembley had to go to Dennis Sarfate to end the game.

Now, the Orioles may need to balance whether they're helping the team or the individual -- or nobody -- by keeping Trachsel in relief. Trembley didn't give any clues as to where Trachsel stands, but he tried to evaluate the veteran as a reliever.

"He might not be comfortable," the manager said. "That would probably be the easy thing to say. But, yeah, you saw what I saw. He pitched behind, then he pitched up. He tried to tell me after the game, and I don't think he really knew what he was supposed to do -- if he was just supposed to get his work in. I told him, 'You pitch like it's a one-run game. The game never changes.'"

"It's not a role issue. I just don't have a routine," Trachsel said. "I have to learn the difference between being loose to come in a game and jumping right in there and throwing strikes. When you are a reliever, you have to come in the game locked in and just throwing strikes. That's the biggest thing right now -- trying to find a way to prepare when I get in the game."

And it may not just be in relief where he struggles. Trachsel was knocked out before the end of the fourth inning in four of his eight starts this season and has logged a 2-5 record with an 8.39 ERA. Still, Trembley said he'll respect Trachsel and won't go out of his way to confront him or impose discipline over a perceived slight in front of thousands of people.

"You have to have thick enough skin in this business not to let those things be taken personally," he said. "I know how I treat people and I know how we do things. I learned a long time ago -- probably sometimes the hard way -- that confrontation doesn't work. ... I've always tried to live by the premise that if you give respect, you should get it.

"I think Steve's probably frustrated. And, obviously, with the way he's pitched lately, he has a reason to be frustrated."