Valencia emerges as shining light in Orioles' darkest days

Getting a feel for Danny Valencia's placement in the lineup isn't as simple as it used to be back when he was typecast.

An opposing left-handed starter usually worked in Valencia's favor in a platoon-type role. He mashed them. It didn't say so on his business card, but word spreads quickly in baseball.

The Orioles didn't sign Valencia, in his second tour with the team, to be an everyday player or to become their cleanup hitter. Little has gone according to plan this season, but Valencia is the rare exception of actually bringing a pleasant result.

Red Sox starter Chris Sale, tormentor of just about anyone who steps in the box, held the Orioles to two hits Sunday over six innings. Valencia accounted for the first with his one-out single in the fourth inning.

Valencia extended his hitting streak to six games, batting .348 during that stretch with eight hits in 23 at-bats. He's hit safely in 16 of his last 19 games since May 13. And he's likely to remain at third base Friday night against Marlins right-hander Jose Urena instead of moving aside for Jace Peterson.

Why sit one of the few bats that doesn't require protective gloves to handle like dry ice?

"I've been real proud of Danny," said manager Buck Showalter. "If anything, he's elevated his game in a time of need for the team. Danny stuck his nose in there and got some big hits for us and through times like this you do need to keep that in mind as a manager, as a coach, as an evaluator, as a fan, that there are some people doing a remarkable job. And Danny's been pretty solid for us."

He could be a strong trade chip if the Orioles really overhaul their roster at the non-waiver trade deadline. An interesting twist considering that he stayed on the free agent market until agreeing in March to a minor league deal - and making it clear that he would opt out rather than go to Triple-A.

The appeal always has been Valencia's career numbers against left-handers, including his .309 average and .368 on-base percentage. He's hitting .249 against right-handers, but he challenged a visitor to his locker this week to check those stats over the past few seasons.

Valencia hit .252 against them in 2017, .275 in 2016 and .285 in 2015. He hit .211 in 2014 before the increase.

"I was labeled early in my career and I don't think it's a factor really anymore," Valencia said.

"You feel like hopefully there will always be a job for you because of it, but you go through an offseason like I did and it didn't really feel like there were many people that wanted roles like that. Hopefully, that changes. But as you play in this league you constantly want to get better.

"Even if I was not to hit lefties well this year, I would still go into the offseason and try to look at the film and find out why. You're always trying to get better. You can't get complacent and content in this game because this game will pass you by. A lot of hard work goes into it. There's no just relying on things you've done in the past."

Though deprived of sleep since the birth of his first child, Oliver, and most recently due to illness, Valencia is batting .283 with a .353 on-base percentage that ranks second behind Manny Machado's .378. The regular reps are a likely contributor, though it's the chicken or the egg debate. Is he starting more because he's so productive, or is he productive because he's starting more?

Tim Beckham's core muscle surgery opened third base for anyone who could avoid being an automatic out and not kill the team defensively. Peterson has been steadier with the glove, but Valencia's hitting is a super-sized Big Gulp inside a parched clubhouse.

"I think the more you play the more comfortable you feel," Valencia said. "You're timing seems to be there a little bit more consistently than when you're in and out of the lineup. I feel good. A testament to a lot of hard work I put in with our hitting coaches, so just try to keep it going."

Valencia's timing couldn't be better. He settles for a minor league deal that guarantees $1.2 million, a cut from the $5.5 million he made with the Mariners last summer while batting .256/.314/.411 in 130 games, and reestablishes his value as one of the few offensive treats on a roster that's poised to undergo significant alterations.

The joy emanating from Valencia's locker clashes with his frustration over the direction of the team - deep south in the American League East - and his empathy toward teammates who can't bust out of their respective slumps and line up with him in the hit parade.

"It's obviously tough," he said. "It's more, you feel bad because guys aren't getting the results that they want to see. Guys in here are still working hard.

"It's just frustrating as a team when you're not playing well. I think hitting is contagious top to bottom and we just really haven't gotten on a roll and there's really not one way of pointing a finger and pinpointing exactly what's gone wrong. It's frustrating for everybody. It really is."

Note: Left-hander Tanner Scott is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk today while Richard Bleier goes on the disabled list with a lat injury sustained in Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Bleier underwent in MRI yesterday and I've heard that he's going to seek a second opinion. The news isn't good. Otherwise, he'd embrace the first opinion.

The Orioles had immediate concerns that Bleier could miss the remainder of the season after walking off the mound in tremendous pain.