Whether getting pink-slipped by his former team sparked his recent surge in production or not, new Baltimore Orioles shortstop Tim Beckham arrived in Maryland ready to rake.
Sunday afternoon in Oakland, Beckham’s impressive start in orange and black came to an end. The former No. 1 draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays went 0-for-4, ending a 12-game hitting streak that began when Beckham made his Orioles debut Aug. 1 in Baltimore against the Kansas City Royals.
The toasty stretch isn’t filled with one dinky base hit per game, either. Beckham’s affecting the Baltimore offense positively. He’s batting .491 (26-for-53) in 13 games with three home runs, seven doubles, two triples, nine runs batted in and 14 runs scored.
After averaging 4.5 runs per game before the All-Star break and slowly sliding down the American League East standings, Baltimore is scoring 5.5 runs per game with Beckham in the lineup.
For Rays fans, it’s particularly tough to watch. Especially while witnessing Tampa Bay’s recent stretch of offensive anemia.
A brutal nine-game homestand ended Sunday with the Rays going 2-7 and getting shutout five – five – times. Nine games, 11 runs scored.
Brutal.
Adding to the frustration is that the player tasked with taking Beckham’s at bats in Tampa Bay – second baseman Brad Miller – hasn’t been pulling his weight. Miller, who surprised many with a 30-homer season in 2016, is hitting .176 (6-for-34) since the trade and is down to .198 on the season. That sub-Mendoza Line effort includes just five home runs, nine doubles, three triples, 26 RBI and 28 runs scored.
Beckham got his starting Rays job this season because shortstop Matt Duffy never recovered from heel surgery. He lost it when Tampa Bay traded to get Adeiny Hechavarria from the Miami Marlins on June 26.
Miller’s injury issues allowed Beckham to remain in the starting lineup at second base and it was Beckham who was outhitting Miller all season.
In defense of the Rays’ move, Beckham has never lived up to top-draft-pick expectations and his 2017 numbers were beginning to decline at the time of the transaction. The 27-year-old bumped his batting average up to a season-high .285 on June 17 but proceeded to hit .173 (13-for-75) with two home runs and five RBI over his final 23 games as a Ray.
Watching how Beckham finishes the season – and how the American League wild card situation plays itself out – has become a daily ritual for some Rays fans.
Haters of the trade keep pulling for Beckham to kill it in Baltimore so they can say “I told you so” – an odd stance to take as a fan since the Rays are still only two games out of the final AL wild card berth and leading Baltimore by a half game.
Supporters of the trade and those still disgruntled by Beckham’s draft position and Buster Posey not being in a Rays uniform remain confident that the production is nothing more than a flash of unsustainable brilliance.
Either way it’s a late-season storyline worth watching for both fan bases. Another element could be added for Orioles fans, as well, if J.J. Hardy ever gets himself off the disabled list. Baltimore manager Buck Showalter stated earlier this summer that the shortstop job is Hardy’s when he returns, but that will be a hard move to make if Beckham is still on a tear.
Eric Horchy is a staff writer with OutsidePitchMLB.com. You can follow and interact with him on Twitter: @EricHorchy
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