Pat Valaika finishing strong even as team has not

Orioles utility player Pat Valaika had an uncertain offseason, one where he was claimed by the Orioles, then Arizona, then the Orioles again. He was outrighted off the club's 40-man roster on Feb. 11. But one day before the shortened season was set to begin, his contract was selected by the club on July 23.

It was bumpy ride in the winter, but has been a much smoother one during this season for Valaika. He's been on the roster all year. Over 50 games, the 28-year-old has hit .263/.300/.451 with four doubles, seven homers, 14 RBIs and a .751 OPS.

"It's been great," he said via Zoom today of his first season with the club. "Definitely nice to play more often here. This is probably the most I've played consistently, which has been nice. And I love the organization - the team, teammates, coaches. It's been a grueling year - just with everything we have to go through - but I'm glad to be here and hope to be here for a long time.

"We miss the fans definitely. Just being to show up to the fields a lot earlier (has been a change this year). Being able to go to dinner to get away from the field a little bit. There are a lot of things we've had to do this year that are necessary to get the season in. You know, I think we are grinding through it and hopefully next year we can get back to normal."

For now, the Orioles would take getting some offense back. In the first eight games of September, the Orioles scored 52 runs, or 6.5 runs per game. They hit .302 with an OPS of .890 in those games. Over the last 14 games, they have scored 38 runs, or 2.7 per game, and 14 runs came in one of those games. In that span, the team average is .215 with an OPS of .601.

The Orioles scored one run last night and have scored one or less in nine of the past 14 games.

"Hitting is hard. Just ask any hitter," said Valaika. "I just think when we were going well, we had a lot of guys hot kind of at the same time. We were tacking on at-bat after at-bat and we strung together a lot of good at-bats. Recently, it's just been hit or miss. Few guys just not feeling great at the plate all at the same time, which is tough, but it's not an excuse. We're professionals and you have to find a way to help your team and contribute any way. Even if it's not getting a hit, it's moving a runner, having a productive out, seeing pitches. We just need to grind out these last four games and take it one at-bat at a time. Try to string some of those together."

Last night was an example where three players in the O's lineup - Valaika, Ryan Mountcastle and Austin Hays - went a combined 9-for-12, but the other hitters went 2-for-23. That continues a solid month of September for Valaika. He is batting .298 with an OPS of .778.

"It's been a good month," he said. "Just trying to do as little as possible, I guess, has always been a key thing for me. Sometimes when things go bad, it's because of trying too hard or too much movement in the box. I kind of clear my head and my mind and relax at the plate. That is when good things happen."

Valaika was asked if the club's struggles down the stretch - they've lost 12 of 15 - have presented an opportunity missed by the Orioles. They were just 1 1/2 games back of the Yankees for the No. 8 American League playoff spot heading into a series at Yankee Stadium that started on Sept. 11.

"Sure. We played good baseball early and we kept ourselves in the race," he said. "But being in the clubhouse with our teammates, no one likes to lose. It hasn't been fun these last 12 to 15 games. When I think back to the success we had, I think we have that potential. That was fun. I think we showed ourselves that is how good we can be."

The Orioles (23-33) meet the Red Sox (22-34) in the series finale tonight in Boston as Alex Cobb (1-5, 4.76 ERA) pitches against lefty Martín Pérez (3-4, 3.88 ERA) at 7:30 p.m.