Coby Mayo was out of the lineup Sunday when the Orioles met the Athletics, and Jake Rill of MLB.com reported the move before first pitch. Baltimore used Weston Wilson at third base in the series finale.
The decision came after Mayo had started the previous five games, a stretch in which he went 2-for-16 with an 0:7 BB:K. For the season, his slash line sat at.158/.218/.277, a snapshot that helps explain why the Orioles chose to give him a day out of the lineup.
Mayo had been getting regular looks before Sunday, so the move was not a benching built on a long absence. It was a quick reset after a week that did not produce much at the plate, and Baltimore turned to Wilson for the matchup against Oakland in the final game of the series.
The numbers tell the immediate story. Five straight starts gave Mayo a chance to settle in, but the results were light and the strikeout-to-walk line stayed empty on the walk side. A hitter with a.158 average and an on-base percentage under.220 does not have much room to absorb another quiet stretch, especially when the club has another option at third base.
What comes next is simple enough: Mayo has to win back the spot. The Orioles already showed Sunday that they are willing to make the switch when the bat goes cold, and the next lineup card will say whether this was a one-day break or the start of a longer look for Wilson.
