Baseball season is now 28 games old and the Birds’ offense is still scuffling to score runs. Ty Wigginton is the only player that hasn’t had trouble getting on base, and even he wasn’t too productive this week when the Orioles got swept by the Yankees.
It’s time to look at adjusting the roster. Andy MacPhail indicated as much on Wednesday when he suggested some guys could be sent to Triple-A Norfolk if they don’t start producing. It appears the most likely candidates to be sent down, or even released, could be Luke Scott, Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold, Garrett Atkins and Julio Lugo.
Scott seems to be the biggest offender. After having a fantastic first half with Baltimore last season, Scott has faded and can’t seem to find his swing. He’s hitting .177 with just three home runs. His playing time has been reduced with the emergence of Rhyne Hughes and the O’s trying to get Reimold more playing time.
Jones looks lost at the plate. He’s hitting just .225, which is up a little bit from a few days ago. The book on him, right now at least, seems to be throw a slider outside and he will swing at it. His confusion will eventually be worked out, but he may need to do so in Norfolk.
Reimold is in a different situation. His recovery from offseason Achilles surgery may be hindering his ability to hit and play the field. Right now, he may be best suited to either be designated hitter or go to Triple-A.
Atkins and Lugo are more complicated cases than the other three. Atkins was brought over after having declined offensively for the last three seasons, but has his average on the rise currently. Lugo was brought in to primarily back up the middle infield spots, but not his bat. Neither one has options and I doubt the O’s will release either player. The only thing to do is try and get these guys right and let them play.
Clearly, the problem with this team has been the offense. The pitching has been pretty solid, with the occasional hiccup every now and then, but that happens. If Baltimore doesn’t start hitting soon, Oriole fans could start seeing some really young guys that may not be ready come up and play some Major League ball.
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