Orioles: Busting out...
Well, maybe. Aubrey Huff hit his first home run in 17 games (May 26) and Matt Wieters hit his first major league home run, while Nick Markakis went 4 for 4 to raise his average almost back to .300 (.298). Does that mean the offense definitely back after a long and painful team slump?
"Hitting's contagious,'' said Markakis afterward. "We go out and the guys who are supposed to hit the ball start hitting the ball and it's contagious and it's good to see it...The biggest thing is to go out and have fun and not stress out too much."
Nick tried to minimize the impact of his own personal slump, which appears to have ended with the six hits he has in his last seven at-bats, including a homer on Tuesday night, but he admitted that it has been a difficult time.
"Yeah, I would say it's one of the toughest stretches in my career so far,'' Markakis said, "but I'm sure there will be others."
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Comments
While Markakis and Huff have scuffled, George Sherrill has been Mr. Steady. His ability to reverse a decline and re-establish himself as a first-class closer is one of the best stories of the year. Hats off to him and Kranitz.
Posted by: Rockvillejake | June 18, 2009 6:10 AM
Markakis especially was overanxious while in his slump, swinging far too early in the count. When slumping, you need to look at MORE pitches, not fewer by swinging at the first pitch you see.
Until a hitter has 2 strikes, he should be focused in on a "zone," and if the pitch isn't where he wants it, he should take the pitch, even if it's a strike.
And somebody PLEASE tell Brian Roberts he is NOT a fly ball hitter. He should hit line drives and ground balls only. If he quit trying for home runs and bunted frequently he could add 30 points easily to his B.A. His job is not to hit home runs. His job is to get walks and singles and steal 2nd base, and maybe even 3rd.
Posted by: Jim | June 18, 2009 1:02 PM