Chris Davis At Risk Of Setting MLB Record For Consecutive Hitless At-Bats Tonight
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is on the precipice of unflattering Major League Baseball history -- again. The one-time feared slugger could potentially set the record for consecutive at-bats without a hit during Monday night's affair with the Oakland Athletics, should he start.
Entering tonight's game, Davis is now hitless in his last 44 at bats dating back to last season. That leaves him just two at bats shy of tying, and three away from breaking the mark set in 2011 when Dodgers infielder Eugenio Velez went 46 straight at bats without a hit.
Following Sunday's 0-for-4 with two strikeouts performance against the Yankees, Davis is now 0-for-23 on the season with 13 Ks and has begun to hear it from the Orioles faithful during his plate appearances. New manager Brandon Hyde has been patient with Davis and after Sunday's game said that it looked like the slugger was closer on a couple of the balls he hit.
"I haven't talked to him about it since, but he's facing a tough lefty there," Hyde said to ESPN. "I hope that he feels like he's making progress. He took a couple decent passes on those fly balls. Just didn't happen."
Fans have been less patient with Davis. Many have showered him with boos at Camden Yards after each failed plate appearance, though other fans are calling for O's faithful to uplift him during his struggles.
Of course, Davis isn't the only one battling a downward trend. The entire Orioles team struggled against Yankees left-hander Domingo German on Sunday, mustering just two hits against the southpaw in a 15-3 loss. Tonight, the A's are expected to send righty Marco Estrada to the mound which is not good news for Davis. According to ESPN's batter vs. pitcher stats, Davis has just six hits in 36 at bats against the former Blue Jays pitcher while striking out 12 times.
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