ARLINGTON -- Designated hitter Pedro Alvarez has been the least productive member of the heavy-hitting Orioles lineup thus far, but manager Buck Showalter is confident that the former Pirate, who came to Baltimore as a free agent in the offseason, will find his swing.
Alvarez is batting .167 (4-for-24) with only one extra-base hit, a double, and one RBI in eight games. He hit 111 homers over the past four seasons with Pittsburgh, slugging .456, but he's posted a .208 slugging percentage through Sunday.
Alvarez has typically been a slow starter, hitting .192 in March and April with an OPS more than 100 points lower than in any other month.