Orioles continue to win, but Chris Davis continues to struggle

In the big picture, the Orioles had a good weekend. They rolled off a seventh straight series win. They opened a six-game lead atop the division, their largest since 1997, on Saturday. They are just one game behind the Angels for the second-best record in the majors.

But some frustrations seemed to surface for fans again on Sunday. One was seeing the team go 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Another was seeing Chris Davis leave all those runners on base.

Davis has batted seventh twice this year and maybe the time has come for him to be dropped to seventh more often. Each time it looks like Davis is showing some good signs, they don't seem to last. He's having that kind of year.

Davis did hit two homers in Toronto and one on Friday. He has even driven a few balls to left-center recently, which always seems to be a good sign for him.

But his average has been under .200 for about two weeks. It is currently at .193 and the only time this year it was lower was when he started the season 0-for-6.

No one should make Davis a scapegoat here and that word probably doesn't even apply. That usually means you are blaming someone for something wrong. Right now, there are a lot of things right about this team.

If the O's and some frustrated fans have to deal with Davis' struggles, they are doing it at a time when the Orioles hold the biggest division lead in the game.

Davis remains a power threat in the lineup. He does have 20 homers and the Orioles are the only team in the majors with three players with 20 or more homers. He has hit some big homers. He definitely brings very strong defense and leadership to the table.

But he just has never gotten on a real tear and you have to wonder now if that is coming at all. You could say manager Buck Showalter should sit him against tough lefties, but Davis is batting under .200 versus both left- and right-handed pitchers, and actually has a higher slugging percentage against southpaws.

Maybe Delmon Young should get the shot batting fifth for awhile. Both Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones got some hits over the weekend, and the middle of the order could well become formidable again.

No doubt Davis has been a lightning rod for criticism, but some of the comments, as usual, cross the line. Yes, he does care. Yes, he is trying to pull out of his slump. Yes, he does have the support of his teammates and coaches.

The Orioles are rolling off wins and they've surged into a sizable lead atop the division. They lead the majors in homers despite Davis hitting fewer this year. These are good days to be an Orioles fan.

There are 45 games left to find out if Davis can get on a roll with his bat this season.