Lough: "I felt like I was at a low point in my career..."
By Roch Kubatko
David Lough started in center field last night and could be back on the bench tonight. He isn't used to extended stays in the lineup.
Lough hasn't started back-to-back games since June 9-10. Adam Jones will return to center field tonight, so Lough's only shot is if Alejandro De Aza is rested.
De Aza has become the regular left fielder since joining the Orioles following an Aug. 30 trade with the White Sox. The Orioles sought an offensive upgrade from the left side of the plate without sacrificing defense.
Lough batted .197/.271/.308 in 63 games in the first half and no longer was used in a platoon role. Before last night, he was hitting .318/.362/.500 in 43 games since the break, but mainly had been a defensive replacement for Nelson Cruz and Delmon Young.
Lough went 1-for-3 and was robbed of another hit on a diving catch by Cuban center fielder Rusney Castillo. His second-half average increased to .319.
"Watching David Lough, very quietly the last month and a half, two months, he's really stepped up to the player that we felt like we were getting," said manager Buck Showalter.
Lough had 133 plate appearances in the first half. He's accumulated 52 since the break.
"I think it's just one of those slumps at the early stages of the season," said Lough, who batted .286 with 17 doubles, four triples, five homers and 33 RBIs last year in 96 games with the Royals. "It seemed like nothing was clicking for me. I wasn't getting my timing down, hitting was really bad for me. I felt like I was at a low point in my career because if you look at the numbers, I haven't really struggled, struggled bad through a season. To do that and to know that I wasn't producing for the team and their expectations for me in the platoon role, it was hard on me.
"I just stuck with it. I could have cashed it in, I could have said, 'Hey, there's always next year.' Whatever. But I didn't. I pushed through it and I started feeling comfortable at the plate and started feeling a lot better and things started going my way.
"Whenever my name pops up in the lineup, I go out there and just try to help our team win. That's all I can do. Buck counts on me every time he puts me in there to make something happen and that's what I try to do."
Lough's slow start may have been associated with the concussion symptoms that surfaced in spring training. He underwent further testing early in the season while the Orioles were in New York.
"I think it could have been that," he said. "It also could have just been a slump. You see guys all the time, they have 120 at-bats and they're still struggling big-time, head injury or not. So, I can't really say if that was what caused that type of slump. But coming to a new atmosphere, too, a new team, high expectations like that, it can be a lot on your plate sometimes. I just had to relax and just be the player that I know how to be and try to help our team try to win games.
"Like I said, whenever I get called upon, I just try to go out and get quality at-bats and play good defense and help our team."
The trade for De Aza had a direct impact on Lough and could cost him a spot on the postseason roster unless the Orioles carry an extra position player.
"De Aza is a great player," Lough said. "He's been proven in The Show for a lot of years. He's been up with Chicago and stuff. I played him last year a lot when I was with Kansas City and I know what type of player he is. We kind of have similar roles. I mean, speed guy, can hit for a little bit of power, gap-to-gap, steal some bases here and there. So, it was kind of like, I'm not doing my job, you know? It was like, they got this guy because, not that I'm not capable of doing it, but they wanted some reassurance there. He's a veteran guy who can come in and step in and do that.
"I'm not one of those guys who's going to sit there and complain, but I'm a team guy and I like to compete and stuff, so it is what it is. I like De Aza. I think he's a great guy. We talk all the time and stuff. We're teammates now and whoever Buck feels is best in that position, then that's how it goes because at the end of the day he's the manager and he puts guys in there that he trusts."
Lough batted .197/.271/.308 in 63 games in the first half and no longer was used in a platoon role. Before last night, he was hitting .318/.362/.500 in 43 games since the break, but mainly had been a defensive replacement for Nelson Cruz and Delmon Young.
Lough went 1-for-3 and was robbed of another hit on a diving catch by Cuban center fielder Rusney Castillo. His second-half average increased to .319.
"Watching David Lough, very quietly the last month and a half, two months, he's really stepped up to the player that we felt like we were getting," said manager Buck Showalter.
Lough had 133 plate appearances in the first half. He's accumulated 52 since the break.
"I think it's just one of those slumps at the early stages of the season," said Lough, who batted .286 with 17 doubles, four triples, five homers and 33 RBIs last year in 96 games with the Royals. "It seemed like nothing was clicking for me. I wasn't getting my timing down, hitting was really bad for me. I felt like I was at a low point in my career because if you look at the numbers, I haven't really struggled, struggled bad through a season. To do that and to know that I wasn't producing for the team and their expectations for me in the platoon role, it was hard on me.
"I just stuck with it. I could have cashed it in, I could have said, 'Hey, there's always next year.' Whatever. But I didn't. I pushed through it and I started feeling comfortable at the plate and started feeling a lot better and things started going my way.
"Whenever my name pops up in the lineup, I go out there and just try to help our team win. That's all I can do. Buck counts on me every time he puts me in there to make something happen and that's what I try to do."
Lough's slow start may have been associated with the concussion symptoms that surfaced in spring training. He underwent further testing early in the season while the Orioles were in New York.
"I think it could have been that," he said. "It also could have just been a slump. You see guys all the time, they have 120 at-bats and they're still struggling big-time, head injury or not. So, I can't really say if that was what caused that type of slump. But coming to a new atmosphere, too, a new team, high expectations like that, it can be a lot on your plate sometimes. I just had to relax and just be the player that I know how to be and try to help our team try to win games.
"Like I said, whenever I get called upon, I just try to go out and get quality at-bats and play good defense and help our team."
The trade for De Aza had a direct impact on Lough and could cost him a spot on the postseason roster unless the Orioles carry an extra position player.
"De Aza is a great player," Lough said. "He's been proven in The Show for a lot of years. He's been up with Chicago and stuff. I played him last year a lot when I was with Kansas City and I know what type of player he is. We kind of have similar roles. I mean, speed guy, can hit for a little bit of power, gap-to-gap, steal some bases here and there. So, it was kind of like, I'm not doing my job, you know? It was like, they got this guy because, not that I'm not capable of doing it, but they wanted some reassurance there. He's a veteran guy who can come in and step in and do that.
"I'm not one of those guys who's going to sit there and complain, but I'm a team guy and I like to compete and stuff, so it is what it is. I like De Aza. I think he's a great guy. We talk all the time and stuff. We're teammates now and whoever Buck feels is best in that position, then that's how it goes because at the end of the day he's the manager and he puts guys in there that he trusts."
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