Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis has been struggling mightily at the plate this season. The 2013 American League home run champ is hitting just .219 with 13 home runs and 40 RBI — well behind his .286/53/138 pace last season. On Monday, Davis made Orioles fans forget about that for at least a night with one swing of the bat.
Davis, who was kept out of the lineup to start the game, hit a pinch-hit walk-off homer with the O’s trailing the Chicago White Sox 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Before the game, he acknowledged that he had been given the night off because he has not been producing.
“Physically (I’m fine),” Davis said, via Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. “It’s probably because I’ve been sucking lately.”
There’s nothing a classic pie to the face can’t fix.
Rather than sulking, Davis did what every manager hopes his best players will do when facing adversity. He stayed ready and delivered when called upon.
“Any time you’re able to deliver and come through for your team, it’s big,” Davis told reporters after the game. “Like I said earlier today, I’m working as hard as I can to get back on track, doing everything I can and just knowing that as long as I continue to work, the results would be there.”
Despite Davis’ early-season struggles, the Orioles are just 1.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. If Davis starts hitting like he did in 2013, Baltimore has a better chance to remain in the hunt.
H/T Big League Stew
