BALTIMORE — Before Monday’s series opener, Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked if he felt concerned about third baseman Manny Machado’s slow start.
The question almost seemed to make Showalter laugh. Machado brought a .053 batting average into the game, having started the season 1-for-19, but the skipper insisted his young third baseman will be fine at the plate.
Machado made the skipper look smart a few hours later when he ripped an RBI double to left off New York starter Michael Pineda in the fourth inning and finished Monday’s game 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI in a 6-5 loss.
“He’s hit some balls hard, right at people,” Showalter said earlier. “That type of stuff will come. He had a good spring. Physically, he’s ready.”
Machado’s average moved up to .130 after the two hits, but he certainly didn’t seem worried after the game.
“It’s a long season ahead,” Machado said. “There’s a lot more hits to come, a lot more strikeouts, a lot more baseball to be played. It’s part of the game.”
Fantasy Update: If you want to stash Machado away on your bench until he gets hot that’s fine by us, but we wouldn’t recommend cutting him.