Rio Ruiz on improved offense and facing defensive shifts

It is happening slowly, but for Orioles third baseman Rio Ruiz, it is happening. Getting the chance to play every day in the big leagues at age 24, his bat is starting to trend up.

Yes, he is batting just .237 over 89 plate appearances, but three of his four multi-hit games have come in the last six games. He is 7-for-24 (.292) in that span and is 9-for-31 (.290) over his past eight games to raise his average from .200. Ruiz is batting .474 (9-for-19) when he faces a pitcher the second time in a game and .286 (2-for-7) the third time.

"I like what I've done the whole season to be honest," Ruiz said about his offense. "But I definitely do see a lot more consistency in my at-bats. Kind of just getting back to some things that I kind of got away from. I guess you could say things that helped me make this team. I used the whole field in spring training and I'm trying to get back to that the best that I can."

Ruiz is also seeing a lot of defensive shifts. It proves once again that you don't have to a big name player with a lot of homers on your resume to be heavily shifted against.

He said it comes as no surprise to him.

"I've seen it before. It is nothing new to me. The four-man outfield in Tampa was the first time I've seen that. But you know, a lot of it is they just want to mess with your head. You are not accustomed to seeing a four-man outfield. The first time you see it you think, 'Man I have to hit that in front of them. Or behind them.' You kind of stray away from your actual approach, which may be good enough to beat the shift," Ruiz said.

Ruiz said just hitting a groundball on the left side when they shift him sounds easy, but is far from that. Does he have one approach at-bat, I asked him, or can he adjust that if he is getting shifted against?

"It all depends on what the guy is throwing, honestly," he said. "Some guys have a sinker, some cutters. Or are curveball or slider heavy. Whatever it may be. So your approach is your approach. But you also have to work with what the guy is giving you. You can't try to manipulate the ball or force it to certain areas. The majority of the time that won't work."

Will he bunt against the shift?

"Oh, you'll see me bunt this year. Just have to pick the right spots. There have been times where I have been able to but the score wasn't in our favor to do it. It is kind of about picking the right spots, the right times and working for the guy behind you," he said.

Manager Brandon Hyde said there is a lot to like about Ruiz and how he is handling his opportunity with the Orioles.

"This last handful of games he's really showing you he can use the whole field. Love the way he stays in the middle of the field. I think he's also going to learn to stay behind the ball and pull some homers too. I just like that he's getting an opportunity and he's doing everything he can to stay here and prove that he's a big league player," Hyde said.