Markakis To Team: Let's Get a Clue

Nick Markakis has had it with the Oriole offense. And for a change, he says so to The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zreibec:

"We still have a lot of holes, and, unfortunately, we have had a lot of injuries. But one guy, one big bat, is not going to make that much of a difference. You can stick a guy hitting 50 homers in this lineup right now, and he really is not going to do anything until we all get on the same page. We all need to have better approaches at the plate....

...from top to bottom, you need guys getting on base. You need guys in there who have a plan, who have a clue and who know how to execute that plan and get on base. We don't need every guy in this lineup trying to hit home runs. We're paid to get on base and figure out how to score and drive in runs."

Earl Weaver would've kissed this guy on the mouth.

In the 14 team AL, the Orioles are 13th in on base percentage, 13th in slugging and 13th in OPS. What was to be a relative strength of this team has become its biggest disappointment.

It's nice to see Nick say something publicly...but I wonder how much difference it will make. He also states that none of this is Terry Crowley's fault...but if a lack of a clear approach at the plate isn't the responsibility of the hitting coach, whose is it?