The Orioles manager broke down his lineup choice.
The Baltimore Orioles continue to search for consistency after a shaky start to the season.
Manager Brandon Hyde is trying something different against the Washington Nationals on Thursday night to try and shake things up.
He shifted his lineup, starting Jorge Mateo over Jackson Holliday at second base.
Hyde’s reasoning for the lineup change was quite simple, according to Baltimore Sun reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer.
“Just because (Mateo) hasn’t played in a while, and I don’t want guys to feel stale on the bench,” Hyde said.
The 21-year-old phenom is still getting his footing in the major leagues, but the move isn’t being made because he is struggling.
He is actually showing improvement from his rookie season, putting up better stats than in his 60 games in 2024. His batting average, on-base percentage and power are all up from last year. He’s even been a part of history for the Orioles this season.
Holliday isn’t quite the contact hitter that Baltimore fans are hoping he would be, but he has handled the high expectations well.
He is still one of the youngest players in Major League Baseball, along with Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio. He might not be on the same level as his peers just yet, but his future is still bright.
Regardless of how he is playing, Holliday’s Orioles are underperforming so far this season.
After winning 91 games last year, the Orioles are at risk of snapping their streak of playoff berths.
They still have the majority of the season to turn things around, but they have been near the bottom of the AL East all season.
While changing the lineup helps keep players fresh, Hyde needs a bit more help from his players if the team is going to improve.
Getting Baltimore’s starting pitchers back from injury would be a big boost.
The team’s starting rotation has been incomplete all season.
The Baltimore Orioles have the talent it takes to make a deep run in the postseason. The team just needs to figure out which buttons to press in order to right the ship.
