Dan Connolly

Five things that must happen for Orioles to make playoffs

By Dan Connolly

Posted on August 16, 2016

Light a fire under Chris Davis

It’s probably unfair to single out one player on this list. But this one player has been the Most Valuable Oriole two times in the past three seasons and signed a $161 million contract in the offseason.

Since the All-Star Break, the offense has had its share of missteps; it’s s not just one guy. But Chris Davis has been the poster boy for the struggles. He’s hitting .160 with a .295 on-base percentage and .234 slugging percentage in 27 second-half games – and that includes a recent run in which he had three consecutive, two-hit performances. But Davis followed up that streak with six strikeouts in his last seven at-bats. He’s struck out 162 times (and has 67 walks) in 486 plate appearances.

By now, you know what you get with Davis. And, oftentimes, what you get is a big finish. In his career, he’s best at the end of the season. He’s hit .294 with a .369 on-base percentage and .554 slugging percentage – all career highs for a month — after Sept. 1.

And that’s what the Orioles need this year. Davis missed the end of 2014 – the last time the club made the playoffs – due to his suspension for using the ADHD drug Adderall. He so badly wants to celebrate with his team this year – and if he gets going like he can, the odds of the Orioles having a September celebration is much, much better.

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