Baltimore Orioles: Too Many Solo Home Runs

Jun 30, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis (19) high fives teammates after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles headed into the All-Star Break 10 games above .500 last year. However, this season, they end the first half with a record of 44-44.

The O’s are fourth in the American League and fifth overall with 110 home runs headed into the break. They have four players with double-digit home runs. Chris Davis and Manny Machado lead the team with 19 each.

More from Baltimore Orioles

On the other side, the Birds also have four pitchers who have allowed double-digit home runs. Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez lead the team with 17 each. The team as a whole has allowed 93 home runs to this point in the season.

The MASN broadcasts have repeatedly said the O’s score the majority of their runs via the long ball. Most of the time it is over 40% of their runs come from home runs. This stat is not necessarily a good thing.

When the offense is struggling, home runs do not help when there are no runners on base. A perfect example is the last game of the half against the Washington Nationals. Max Scherzer pitched an excellent game, in which, he only allowed four hits along the way of recording 26 outs before the closer came on to record the last out.

The Orioles are not hitting enough tw0 or three-run home runs. The solo shots are not helping the offense, but is hurting the team.

The game ended in a 3-2 loss for the Birds, and how did they score those two runs? You probably guessed it: by the long ball.

Adam Jones hit two solo shots out, and traditionally, a two home runs in a game would be a good thing. However, the O’s offense is struggling, so they were unable to put any runners on base.

An ace who has already pitched a no-hitter this season did not help the situation. Even against an excellent pitcher, home runs cannot help the offense if no one managed to make it on base. They do not necessarily have to be hits, but they could draw walks also.

The Orioles are 13th in the AL in walks drawn. They are a very aggressive team, and in turn, they do not draw many walks.

Their pitching has allowed the third most walks in the AL. Chen has helped minimize the home run damage by allowing 14 of his 17 when the bases are empty.

Gonzalez has tried to minimize the damage also. Ten of his 17 home runs allowed were hit with the bases empty. However, five of them have been three-run bombs. When they say teams live and die by the home run, it is especially true for the Birds.

More from The Baltimore Wire

The four top home-run hitters for the Orioles combined to hit 62 with 42 of those being solo shots. The second half of the season has to show the Birds proving they can hit the long ball with runners on base. Solo shots are not going to win the AL East.

The O’s don’t seem to be turning away from the power game. Their offense is focused on the dingers, so I can’t see them switching around the way they play to something similar to small ball.

Of their 254 extra-base hits, 144 (minus the home runs) were either doubles or triples. In comparison, the top three in the AL in extra-base hits have more than 160 doubles and triples combined. Two of those teams are the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays.

If the Orioles want to continue with their reliance on the home run, they have to increase their other extra-base hits. Otherwise, the Birds are going to be stuck with solo shots.

Next: Baltimore Orioles’ Decision to Bunt Critical in Loss

Home/Baltimore Orioles