Orioles teammate's struggles shouldn't mask Jackson Holliday's brutal week

Baltimore Orioles star catcher Adley Rutschman is hitting under the Mendoza line since the All-Star Break. Rutschman, who is one of the best backstops in the game, is the centerpiece for a Baltimore team expected to make a postseason run. If Adley keeps hitting like this, it's tough to consider the Orioles a contender, and he knows it.

“Baseball’s an interesting game,” Rutschman said, watching his words carefully. “Hitting is as much a mental thing as it is a physical thing, so I think there are so many aspects."

Orioles fans were glad to see some emotion out of the struggling Rutschman, who has otherwise been stoic through his slump, after a strikeout against the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. Perhaps it's a sign of what's to come, or he understands the urgency given we're only a few weeks away from October.

“I think for me right now, we’re trying to look at stuff from a fundamental standpoint, and then swinging at quality pitches,” Rutschman said. “But, yeah, just riding the wave, man. Riding the wave. Being positive, and the things I can control are my effort, attitude, and that’s what I’m going to do. I know I’m going to get a lot more at-bats and I can hopefully look at this and be like, ‘That sucked,’ but we’re going for a playoff run, and that’s the most important thing.”

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Don't look now, but Orioles star Jackson Holliday is also struggling

While his struggles shouldn't be as concerning as Rutschman's, Jackson Holliday is reverting back to his early-season mess, at least over the last week. Holliday is just 1-of-15 since last Tuesday, and his batting average has dipped by about 10 points. For Jackson, some time off could do him some good. Holliday took just one at-bat on Monday against the Boston Red Sox, a game the Orioles lost anyway.

If Baltimore is resigned to winning the AL Wild Card, rather than challenging the Yankees for the AL East -- they are just 1.5 games back of this writing, so likely not -- it would benefit them to provide players like Holliday and Rutschman some rest for the stretch run.

Holliday struggled mightily in his first MLB stint, only to work on his swing in Norfolk and eventually make a triumphant return to Baltimore. He is expected to be a key player for the O's in October.