It’s a holiday weekend. I’m not going to get all philosophical at the Tap Room today.
We have a simple question, one that you should have an opinion on – even if you’ve really only had a few hours to think about it.
The Orioles were in a four-game losing streak. They had struck out roughly a billion times in the last week. They needed to shake things up a little offensively.
And Orioles manager Buck Showalter did, most notably by placing Adam Jones in the leadoff spot. You know, Jones, the guy who was 3-for-37 in his last nine games. Jones, the guy who is railed on by critics for his lack of patience at the plate, suddenly batting in the spot where you want your most patient hitter.
And what happens?
Jones, naturally, gets three hits in five at-bats, including one to leadoff the game and trigger a three-run first that led the Orioles to a 6-4 win at Cleveland.
And Showalter helped make it happen with an unconventional look to his lineup.
We know Jones isn’t your typical leadoff hitter. His on-base percentage is .291 through 46 games. But it worked for a game. And maybe it jumpstarts things for a little while. I wouldn’t be surprised if Showalter tries it again.
So what did you think? Did you like seeing Jones in the leadoff spot? Do you want to see if it’s something that can keep some momentum going for a while? Or are you just glad it went well, no one got hurt and you hope to never see it again?
Tap-In Question: What was your take on Jones hitting leadoff Friday?
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not into changing everything after 4 gm slump., I don't like Joey Rickard on the bench just because we lost a few. we rolled through April and into May. we get into this have to change everything mode even though we're doing well. 1 bad series shouldn't force Buck to go there.
Steve - does Kim's recent play impact your feelings on Rickard at all? If Kim continues to hit over .400, shouldn't he be in the lineup every day, at least until he cools off? And if that's not at Rickard's expense, then whose?
I liked Buck's reasoning behind it. Separate the strikeouts so that when Jones/Davis/Trumbo aren't hitting, you don't have three free-swingers in a row. Kim in the 2-hole was interesting. I know last night wasn't great with the clearly painful HBP, but I would like to see more of him, especially when Rickard is slashing .206/.289/.314 in his last 30 games. I could see a platoon between them. Hopefully, Joey can make the adjustment, but it just has not happened yet.
Agreed on this, Speedbump. I also liked how it hopefully -- even if temporarily -- changed Adam's mindset a bit. Stay inside the ball. Put it in play. Stop pulling off and trying to mash everything. At least for one night, it seemed to work.