The Orioles are still hovering near first place, but they’re staying there in an unexpected way. If they want to continue to contend, they need some more offense, and it might be time for Buck to shake up the batting order. Press play or read below for more.
The Orioles may not be flying atop the American League East as the calendar turns to May, but it’s not like they’ve taken a nosedive either. The Birds are benefiting in games at Camden Yards, posting one of the better home records in baseball to this point. But they seem to be doing things in an unconventional way. The hard-hitting, offensively-strong club that everyone expected to see hasn’t been the driving force just over a month into the season. Instead, the O’s are getting some contributions from the pitching staff to help them win games. Chris Tillman has been impressive thus far and Kevin Gausman has looked like the gem everyone hoped he’d be for years. It’s the bats that have been mostly quiet, and while there’s still more than enough time for them to heat up, they’d better get to it.
The Orioles just won a three-game series against the hapless Yankees and scored a total of five runs in the process. The construction of this team is so that when the bats go quiet, they nearly go silent. It’s not like the Birds can’t get the job done without hitting home runs. They are 3rd in the American League at hitting with runners in scoring position, hovering right around a .300 average.
It is time for Buck Showalter to shake things up, however. It’s time Joey Rickard be moved out of the leadoff spot, and frankly see more time on the bench. Nolan Reimold and Hyun-Soo Kim deserve more playing time. It may also be time to slide Adam Jones down in the order. His struggles have been well-documented, and it’s time to take some of the pressure off. While it’s nice to have some pitching contributions for now, they can’t expected it last. The offense will need to come through for the Orioles as they roll toward Memorial Day, especially if they want to continue hovering near the top of the division.
2 Responses
Hovering near first? Don’t get used to it. Gonna free fall real soon!
Finally, someone else seems to realize that Rickard is not the godsend everyone else has made him out to be. According to baseball reference he has already accumulated -0.8 defensive War. That is an incredibly bad number this early in the season. At that pace he would set a record for worst season defense ever. And people have complained about hyun-soo kim’s defense?? That number says it all.