Baltimore Orioles: Just Swing the Bats!

Aug 7, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones (10) hits a single during the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

Once again the inconsistent offense of the Baltimore Orioles has reappeared as a current concern even beyond the starting rotation’s well-documented difficulties this year.

Generating only three base hits and one run on Tuesday evening in Oakland, the offensive malaise is as deep as it is confusing.

The starting rotation has gone through one complete rotation with five quality starts, but the Orioles have only been able to win two of these games. This is the first half of the 10-game road trip, a critical series in which the Orioles really need to hold onto first place in the American League East.

Fortunately for the O’s, who are 5-5 over the past 10 games, the rest of the AL East has been equally mediocre with the same 5-5 record. And the Yankees have actually been 4-6, not that they really count these days apart from how they impact the O’s and other AL East teams.

The Orioles pitching staff has not and will not set records. But I have contended for a very long time (beyond even this year), that it is the inconsistent offense that costs the Birds more games than the starting pitching’s problems with length. The offensive numbers add up and look impressive, like leading the world in home runs again; but if they most often come in large wins against poor pitching, it does especially and profoundly affect the bottom line of total wins and losses.

The Orioles have had 28 games this year in which they have scored two runs or less. In those games they are 3-25. On the other hand, there are 38 games in which the opposition has scored two runs or less, and in those games Baltimore is a combined 35-3. And even when the Orioles have allowed only four runs by opponents the year, they have only managed to win four of those 12 games.

In my years and years of closely watching Orioles games, I cannot remember a time where I have seen so many check-swings, one at-bat after another. This tentative approach is leading to many strikeouts and weakly-hit balls. The appearance is one of fear that something is going to go wrong if they are aggressive. It is the hitting equivalent of what we saw so much from the fearful and tentative pitching approach by Arrieta and Matusz during their Orioles years.

I think someone needs to get these hitters together and just say “SWING THE BATS!” Go for it! We would all like great plate discipline, such as we saw for a period of time at the beginning of the year. But that is not the personality of this team for the most part.

Yes, Adam Jones can drive fans crazy when he swings at a low-outside pitch he can’t even reach. But he reaches others and is hitting well, accounting for two-thirds of the hit totals last night.