Is it time to get concerned about the offense?

Here is a good question: Is it time to start worrying about the Orioles' lack of offense? For a while the club was bashing homers but now the homers and runs scored have slowed a bit. Over the last 10 games, the Orioles have scored just 30 runs and eight times in those ten games they have scored three runs or less. They actually won four games in a row scoring 3, 2, 3 and 5 runs but lost last night 5-2 and picked up just five hits in 31 at-bats against Oakland pitching. The team has just 68 hits and a team average of only .216 in the past 10 games. While the Orioles hit 18 homers in their first 10 games this year, they now have ten homers over the past 10 games. There are several players who need to get the bats going at this point. Nick Johnson is 0-for-26 on the season. Nick Markakis, since driving in four runs in the first two games of the year, has just five RBIs and a batting average of .194 over his last 18 games. Mark Reynolds has just three hits over his last 24 at-bats and just one RBI over his last 12 games. He has yet to homer. Endy Chavez is batting .139 and J.J. Hardy is hitting .182. Here is how the O's offense fared last year and this year: * Averaged 4.4 runs per game in 2011 and 4.0 now. * Team average of .257 in 2011 and .242 now. * Team OBP of .316 in 2011 and .301 now. * Had 81 steals in 2011 and on pace for 48 now. * Hit .263 with runners in scoring position in 2011 and .213 now. The Orioles have scored a high percentage of their runs via homers this year and sometimes there is nothing wrong with a good old fashioned two-run double or gap shot. Last September. the Orioles put up an average of 5.0 runs per game and had 29 stolen bases in the month with players like Matt Angle, Kyle Hudson and Nolan Reimold stealing bases. The offense is more station-to-station now. The Orioles currently have an offense lacking much speed and with a low on-base percentage and low batting average with runners in scoring position. No wonder the team is struggling to score runs right now.