Showalter: Machado could hit anywhere
Third baseman's spot debated; Wieters back
at live batting practice
Machado had three hits in four at-bats, driving in four runs in the 11-2 win after spending a good amount of the spring batting in the first or second spot in the lineup, as he did often in 2015.
After the game, manager
“I think he produced a lot of runs leading off last year by scoring runs and setting up others,” he said. “I've said it many times: Manny is capable of hitting in about five [different] spots in the order. Really, all nine if you really want to make it simple, but a lot of it depends on what serves the club. It's good to have those options.”
Machado spent most of last year in the leadoff spot, batting there 111 times in 162 games. Otherwise, he has hit second most often in his career. Both place him in a position to get significantly more at-bats. But given Machado's ability to hit for power, some call for him to be moved down in the order to get in more men-on-base situations like Friday's.
The heart of the lineup could be set with
“There's some unknown to what exactly we're going to do with Joey or where he might fit down the road, but it's good to have options,” Showalter said.
“Every day we get better, it's more and more optimistic,” Wieters said. “I think the key is that as long as we're going on a path and getting it better each day, we'll stay on that.”
Showalter said Saturday that Wieters could serve as the designated hitter in some minor league spring games before he returns to catching, which would allow a disabled list stint to be backdated to when he last played a major league game.
That was the first time anyone mentioned Wieters starting the season on the disabled list.
“I hope he's moving toward the field in a week,” Showalter said. “Who knows? It could be eight days.”
Wieters felt tightness in the elbow that he had Tommy John surgery on in 2014 in the first inning of the March 12 Grapefruit League game against the Minnesota Twins.
MRIs came back clean, however, and as the soreness dissipated, Wieters has increased activity. He hit off a pitching machine Friday and said all that's left is throwing.
“Whenever we start throwing, it'll be another hurdle that I'll just continue to improve once we do it,” Wieters said.
Earlier in the week, Showalter said Wieters came into camp in good shape and needed just a few games to be ready for the season.
Trumbo, a day after posting his best game of the spring with a 2-for-4 effort with four RBIs, had a different opinion.
“Oh, I killed that thing last night,” he said. “I wouldn't say otherwise.”
Both that at-bat, which helped stake the Orioles to an early lead, and a fourth-inning RBI single in which he stayed inside the ball and shot it through the hole into right field, are part of what Trumbo said has been a strong series of at-bats.
“The at-bats the last couple days have been better, closer to what you look for, at least timing-wise,” Trumbo said. “Not chasing quite as much. Some of the pitches I have gotten I've gotten some good barrel on, as opposed to just fouling them off. It's going all right.”
Trumbo is batting .297 with a .757 OPS this spring, with his eight RBIs tying him for third on the team. In six games before Friday, he was 3-for-18 with nine strikeouts.
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