Cruz stays in Orioles' lineup, Davis lowered to seventh

By Roch Kubatko

Orioles

August 05, 2014, 11:48am

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Tonight's game at Rogers Centre marks the fourth-latest matchup between the Orioles and Blue Jays with both clubs occupying the top two spots in the American League East, according to STATS. The only later games took place on Sept. 29, 1989, Aug. 16, 1989 and Aug. 10, 1992. The Orioles will attempt to increase their division lead, which stands at four games. Nelson Cruz is mired in a 1-for-32 slump since his home run in the second inning of a July 25 game in Seattle, lowering his average from .276 to .259. However, in three games in Toronto this season, Cruz is batting .462 (6-for-13) with a double, three home runs, 10 RBIs, two walks, five runs scored and a 1.764 OPS. Guess who's in left field tonight. Delmon Young remains in the lineup as the designated hitter. He's batting cleanup, with Cruz moving to fifth and Chris Davis dropping to seventh. Davis hasn't hit lower than fifth this season. He hasn't hit seventh or lower since Sept. 23, 2012. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny Machado 3B Adam Jones CF Delmon Young DH Nelson Cruz LF J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis 1B Caleb Joseph C Jonathan Schoop 2B Bud Norris RHP