Baltimore Orioles Continue to Depend On Long Ball
By Nate Wardle
Jul 10, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop (6) and third baseman Manny Machado (13) react after completing a second inning ending double play against the Washington Nationals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
On Friday night, the Orioles’ offense was struggling as seems to be the normal at this point. But, home runs by Adam Jones and in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, Jonathan Schoop, helped lead the team to a 3-2 victory.
The Orioles’ offense continues to struggle. They team is currently abysmal with runners in scoring position. The pitchers are doing pretty well, the bullpen is doing well, but the offense just is struggling.
Up until the eighth inning, Adam Jones’ solo HR was about all the offense for the Orioles. Matt Wieters also had a good game, and he would be the one to tie the game on a double to the gap to score Chris Parmelee.
I’m not sure it necessarily is the approach. The O’s did a good job of working the count against Gio Gonzalez. They saw a lot of pitches, just were unable to put a lot of good swings on balls with two strikes. There were also several at-bats where the batter struck out looking, as they were looking for the wrong pitch.
But, once again the star of this game for the Orioles was their defense. The team turned several nifty double plays, with Jonathan Schoop the center of attention for most of them.
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Buck Showalter talked in the post-game press conference about Schoop, and the fact that he accounted for 4-5 runs both offensively and defensively in the game.
But, the offense did enough. Maybe this is what it takes. The Orioles’ offense should be one of the best in baseball. Sure, there are weakness, but this offense is a good one. They have been very streaky so far this season, however.
The Orioles have done a good job against their interleague rivals over the last few years, and that continued to be the case. The Nats have a bunch of injuries, but they are still leading their division.
The O’s also controlled Bryce Harper, who struck out in his first two at-bats, had a single against the shift, and then grounded out to the pitcher. The Orioles probably have better numbers as a pitching staff against Harper than anyone else. And when Wilson Ramos is batting fourth, it shows the importance of getting Harper out.
The Orioles will remain second in the AL East with the win, as the Yankees won as well. In that game, Clay Buchholz left with an elbow injury. If he is lost for any amount of time, it will be a major blow for the Boston Red Sox.
The Orioles will now have to face Jordan Zimmermann and Max Scherzer to end the first half of the season up to the All-Star break. Against two very good pitchers, the team will have to continue to maximize their opportunities on offense.