Each night’s Orioles lineup features a majority of players who are still trying to show they can consistently hit enough to be a long-term major leaguer. Their relative experience means it can be a challenge to sustain that kind of high-level performance from night to night.
One aspect of finding that consistency and proving ones worth, Orioles hitting coach Don Long said, is how young hitters fare against the game’s top pitchers — and the Orioles have seen plenty of them this year.
“You’re looking at that as a measuring stick for yourself,” Long said. “You’re trying to establish yourself based on being successful against those guys.