In last six games, Davis reminded us how important he can be for O's

It didn't seem very likely before this season began that Chris Davis would hit 53 homers again for the Orioles. But no one could have expected him to be batting .199 at the All-Star break either.

As the games resume tonight, a big second half from Davis would go a long way toward helping the Orioles claim their first American League East title since 1997.

In recent weeks, Davis and the season he is having have become a primary topic for O's fans and readers on this blog. Some suggested he get a few days off to regroup and clear his head. Some think he should be part of a platoon with Steve Pearce at first base. Others feel he should be dropped in the order.

Over the last six games, Davis is 4-for-22, but two of those four hits were huge homers. He hit a two-run shot July 7 at Washington that broke a 2-2 tie in the 11th inning as the Orioles went on to win. On Sunday night, he hit a two-run shot against New York that put the Orioles ahead 2-1 in the fourth inning of a rain-shortened game they won 3-1.

One reason Davis stays in the lineup and stays batting in the middle of the order is for the simple reason that he is a threat to hit a homer on every pitch. Before he delivered in that game against the Yankees, he was 0-for-12 his last four games with eight strikeouts.

Davis has hit six go-ahead homers this year to rank third on the Orioles, and those last two were real big - one that got the O's series against Washington off to a winning start and one that gave them a series win over New York.

A look at Davis at the All-Star break the last two years:

In 2013: .315 average, .717 slugging, 1.109 OPS, 37 homers, 93 RBIs.
In 2014: .199 average, .391 slugging, .701 OPS, 15 homers, 48 RBIs.

Davis missed a few games beginning in late April with a strained oblique. But he still has 15 homers and 48 RBIs. Adam Jones, who was an All-Star again this year, has 16 homers and 54 RBIs. Jones has certainly had a better first half than Davis, but Davis has managed to produce some runs for the team. He is on pace to finish with 28 homers and 89 RBIs. The Orioles would certainly benefit from a second half that ends with his numbers topping that, but those numbers do have significance.

It is interesting, though, that Davis pretty much called himself out in a recent interview, indicating that hitting a lot of homers does not make up for a low batting average.

During a June 23 interview, Davis said: "You could hit .200 and hit 30 or 40 home runs. In my opinion, for me, that's not a productive year. I try to look at my at-bats, my pitch selection. It's no secret how they are pitching me. We have video here, but for whatever reason, I just haven't been making contact."

He might go on to hit 30 homers, but he is clearly unsettled, as you would think he would be, by a .199 batting average. Davis hit .286 last season and began 2014 with a .266 career average. This is not all about strikeouts either, because he struck out 199 times last year. His strikeout rate is up a bit in 2014, but so is his walk rate.

It seems Davis has made some loud outs lately and the shift has clearly cost him many hits. But as he has pointed out, he batted against the shift last year, too.

Maybe, in the end, a few things conspired against Davis this year. How could he follow up on such a remarkable 2013 season? There was pressure to live up to making the most money he's ever made while also playing for his next contract. He was a marked man more than ever for pitchers. He got hurt. He and his wife welcomed a baby. While that is a blessed event, it had to be a bit draining and potentially distracting.

So now we will see what the next 66 games will bring for Davis. He needs to get that batting average up, but at the same time, he provided a couple of big reminders recently of the damage he can do at any time with just one swing.