A look at the recent struggles for the Orioles offense

The Orioles have been getting some solid pitching lately. We can't say the same about the hitting. What has happened to the Orioles on offense? The Orioles managed to win series' at Toronto and Boston even though they scored just 11 runs in three games at the Rogers Centre and nine in three games at Fenway Park. The Orioles have now gone 16 consecutive games scoring five or fewer runs, easily their longest stretch of the year. They have scored four or less in 12 of those games. Before this stretch the O's were averaging 4.8 runs per game and during this stretch the O's are scoring 3.6 runs per game. In the Boston series the Orioles had just 18 hits and a team average of .171 and went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Keep in mind this is an O's team that ranks first in the American League in homers, third in runs and total bases and sixth in batting average. The Orioles have just one two-homer game in their last 12 games, so a team that relies heavily on homers, has hit fewer lately. Several players have struggled at times recently: * Manny Machado is batting .138 his last six games. * Brian Roberts is batting .196 over 15 games. * Adam Jones has one RBI the last nine games. * Nick Markakis has just four RBIs the last 23 games. * Matt Wieters is batting .152 his past 10 games. * Nate McLouth is hitting .197 his last 20 games. But we can end this blog post with some hope for the series that begins tonight in St. Petersburg. The Orioles have actually hit well in 2013 against Tampa Bay pitching, averaging 5.1 runs per game vs. the Rays with a .455 slugging percentage (.433 is the season average). Adam Jones is batting .354 with four homers, 12 RBIs and a .964 OPS against Tampa pitching while Chris Davis is batting .315 with five homers, 16 RBIs and a 1.098 OPS. The Rays' ERA is 4.87 against the Orioles, more than one run per-game more than its season mark of 3.82 which is sixth in the AL. What is your take on the offense and the recent struggles? Can they break out against a Tampa pitching staff they have hit pretty well this year?