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THE RUNDOWN: Break Comes at Perfect Time for Struggling Birds

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The All-Star break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Baltimore Orioles as they limped to the break losing 10 of 13 games. It was a very disappointing stretch for the team, specifically the offense, after a great June that saw them regain first place in the American League East. With the trade deadline only a couple of weeks away, the organization will be busy trying to get the O’s back in position to make a postseason run.

 

CORNER OUTFIELD CONTINUES TO BE A WEAKNESS

Let me get this out of the way first. Chris Davis should not be in right field and the quicker the team returns him to first base, the better the O’s will be in the long run. There hasn’t been a clear explanation on why the Orioles are using him out there other than the usual coach speak by Buck Showalter, but the front office needs to find a solution to the outfield so Davis can return back to first base.

The combination of Travis Snider, Nolan Reimold, Steve Pearce, Chris Parmelee, and David Lough are not the answer and it’s time to look somewhere else. Those guys have all had their moments this season, and I’m sure they will again, but they are all role players who are playing more often then they should. The obvious question is who can the O’s go after to fix the black hole that is the corner outfield? Prospect Dariel Alvarez would be one solution, but as we know, rookies have their ups-and-downs and I’m not sure a team fighting their way for a playoff berth will want to go that route.

The Orioles can go the trade route with Oakland Athletics versatile veteran Ben Zobrist and Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce being two targets. However, they would have to give up another pitching prospect and with numerous pending free agents and lack of top minor league talent, I’m not sure the O’s will decide to get a top tier trade target.

The moral of the story: Other than promoting Alvarez, the Orioles will probably have to wait until the offseason to upgrade the corner outfield and will continue to hope one of their in-house candidates go on a month-long tear.

 

J.J. HARDY’S LACK OF POWER

If Hardy had enough at-bats to qualify, the shortstop would rank 154 among all hitters with a .325 slugging percentage. Hardy only hit nine home runs last year, so it’s hard for me to blame it all on injuries he has sustained this season. Hardy went through a streak earlier in his career where he didn’t hit many homers, but rebounded nicely in his first season with the O’s by hitting 30. Hardy will turn 33 before the season is over and still has two years left on the contract he signed last October, so it’s not out of question to wonder if Hardy will ever regain that power stroke, or if he can reinvent himself as a higher average/OBP guy.

 

CONFIDENCE IN THE BULLPEN?

The Orioles bullpen ranks sixth in all of baseball with a 2.90 ERA, but am I the only one who doesn’t have full confidence they can get the job done with the personnel they have now? Darren O’Day and Zach Britton are elite level relievers, so as long as the team gets to the 8th inning with a lead, they will always be in great shape. However, the bridge to those guys is what concerns me the most. Chaz Roe has given up six runs over his last five appearances, Tommy Hunter has an ERA of over 4.00, Brad Brach has been inconsistent all season long and Brian Matusz has a WHIP of 1.30. There isn’t an Andrew Miller available in a trade to upgrade the bullpen, and without the roster flexibility, the O’s will continue to rely on these collection of arms for the remainder of the season. Perhaps Bud Norris‘ implosion in Minnesota will be the exception and he’ll become a reliable middle reliever, but in all likelihood, we O’s fans will be wincing during the 6th and 7th innings for the rest of the year.

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