Baltimore Orioles and Chris Davis: No Luck but Bad Luck

Jul 7, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Chris Davis (19) looks on after striking out in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Lately for Baltimore Orioles right fielder Chris Davis, if it weren’t for bad luck, he’d have no luck at all!

The second half of the season opened poorly for him in Detroit on Friday night. Though he made a series of very fine catches in the outfield, his adventures at the plate were difficult.

Davis did get a single in the second inning and score; and later he registered a RBI on a fielder’s choice. But once again he was robbed at the wall by an outfielder – just as he was twice recently against the White Sox. He also hit a screaming line drive into the shift that doubled Adam Jones off first base.

But the biggest indignity was getting called out in the top of the ninth inning on a 3-2 pitch with two runners on base and one out. As we all know too well, Davis can strike out at a rate that is epic. But on this occasion, the ball was a full six inches outside. A simply terrible and deadly call at that point of the game! One more out, and the Orioles were on the losing end of a 7-3 score.

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The O’s are also now under .500 for the season. The suggestion here is not that the Orioles should have won the game except for the bad luck that struck them. No, even though they outhit the Tigers 10-8, Detroit put together the big hits with three long balls off an ineffective Ubaldo Jimenez.

At the same time, the Orioles were a mere 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position. This is the identical problem that doomed them in the final stretch before the All-Star break.

This cannot continue as it is. And I do not think that it will. Manny Machado is hitting well, and Adam Jones looks to be back on the ball. Jonathan Schoop is looking decent, as is J.J. Hardy. Chris Davis is in a much better place than early in the season, and Jimmy Paredes is going to get hits and make things happen. One would expect Matt Wieters to pop out of a recent slump and get back into a groove, and he had two hits in this series opener.

The problem … the hole in the lineup … is what to do about the current left field and first base situation. Travis Snider and Chris Parmelee are simply not getting it done. They were a combined 0-for-7, which is about what they have been doing for a while now.

The answer is not a simple one. Even Ryan Flaherty looks to be a better option … can’t believe I just wrote that! Even David Lough might provide more offense, and surely better defense.

But certainly it is time to put Nolan Reimold out there on a daily basis. Right now there is too much concern (given the left-handed nature of the players being discussed) to put Snider and Parmelee in the lineup against all the right-handers. Nolan actually splits well against righties, batting only at a slightly lower number than against lefties, but also with an identical L/R OBP of .331. That is a good number; that is the team number the Tigers have right now – a number that is the best in baseball.

The other issue with Reimold is that he needs to play on a rather daily basis to be in a groove and produce well. And it is time to do that. Put his OBP in the two hole behind Machado, and then drop Paredes to the sixth or seventh spot. That would work and put the Orioles in a better place than they are right now.

Next: Orioles Midseason Musings

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