Steve Davis: The Orioles Fade From Picture
It has been tough to see what has happened to the Orioles, right in the mix with plenty of opportunities, and a complete inability to capitalize.
There are plenty of reasons why.
People will point to the bullpen, and in particular, Jim Johnson. And it's a fair point. He has been a disappointment. They will point to the rotation, and that makes sense well. But you know what, go take a look at the hitting down the stretch.
You can go online and see the batting stats for the last 7 days, 30 days, and since the All-Star break. In the last week, the key guys, Davis, Jones, Machado, Markakis and Hardy are all hitting in the mid to upper .100's. Only Wieters, among your everyday starters, is over .200 and not by much.
The last month isn't much better. Among your starters, only one guy, Hardy, is hitting over .250.
Even since the All-Star break, which is more than 2 months, only Hardy and Jones are over .250, and not a single regular is hitting .300 or better.
Compare that to before the All-Star break, when Davis and Machado were over .300 and Jones was right around .300, and you see a major issue. The offense really has hit the skids the second half of the season.
