Baltimore Orioles strive to get back on track versus Houston Astros

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May 20, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) singles in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

Manny Machado must lead Orioles back atop the AL East

Manny Machado has been struggling, big time.

The All-Star third baseman continues to do a fantastic job in the field; this is saying nothing about that.

However, at the plate is a different story.

Manny looks like he is trying to hit a home run in every situation, and it is not working. His swing is long and not direct.

Manny is hitting .218/.308/.431. Those numbers are not good for him. Well, the on-base percentage and slugging percentage aren’t exactly terrible. But, he has never had a batting average below .262.

If you look at his walk numbers, they are up. So, Machado is certainly more selective at the plate. His strikeout numbers are also projecting well above his career high as well. It gives credence to the fact that his swing may be out of whack.

One thing that gives hope is that Manny’s batting average on balls in play (BAbip) is very low, sitting at .222. This is extremely low. So, Manny is hitting a lot of balls at fielders. That will likely even itself out a little bit.

However, it can’t all be on bad luck. Machado needs to work on getting back to the fundamentals and his typical swing and stop trying to do too much at the plate.

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