According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Sun, Orioles President Andy MacPhail putting his hitters on notice. Produce, or get sent down:
“While you can give them some allowance for the quality of pitching that we’ve faced, our patience isn’t inexhaustible. There is going to come a time where we’re going to be obligated to keep making changes in terms of offensive personnel, and they’re going to get the opportunity to head to Norfolk and hone their swings because they’re not doing anything to help us now . . . It’s not a suicide pact. They either have to start performing or they’ll go to Norfolk.”
This applies to basically everyone, it would seem. Luke Scott stinks so far this year. So does Adam Jones. And Nolan Reimold. Cesar Izturis has been a special brand of stank as well.
This just can’t happen on a team that was supposed to be OK-to-possibly-frisky on offense but still developing in the pitching department. When guys simply aren’t doing what they should be expected to do you’re left with little choice but to send someone down or throw a bag of bats into the shower or something.