How has Westburg’s absence affected Orioles’ offense? | MAILBAG

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.

Question: It feels like the offense has struggled since Jordan Westburg was hurt. Do the stats bear that feeling out? From: Rick Millward, Myersville, MD

Answer: Rick, the stats do verify your feeling. Westburg fractured his right hand on July 31^st, and in August, the Orioles have a .697 OPS, by far their lowest for any month this season.

So far this month, the Orioles have scored 105 runs in 23 games, an average of 4.57 runs per game. That’s more than a full run behind the 5.62 runs per game they scored in June.

Question: Regarding the Orioles’ pitching issues, Gregory Soto seems to be “the elephant in the room.” Brandon Hyde obviously isn’t using him right now in any situation, and he hasn’t mentioned him in a while when he talks about Orioles pitchers. Any insight as to what’s going on? From: Rusty Wallace, Annapolis

Answer: Rusty, it’s mystifying to me as well. Soto allowed four runs in two of his first three appearances for the Orioles, and Hyde has been reluctant to return to him in a high-leverage situation, and he’s only been used once since August 17^th.

I’d like to see him get another shot or two. Others in the bullpen are struggling, and if he’s on the team, they ought to try to use him to see if he can recapture his past excellence.