Orioles fans are begging Brandon Hyde to do something about Adley Rutschman

The Baltimore Orioles might be leading the AL East and have sole possession of the best record in the American League, but they haven't looked like an elite team in a while.

They entered action on July 7 at 57-33, holding a 3.0-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East. Since then, they've gone 25-27 and have seen their lead fall to just 0.5 games. They've been lucky that New York has played mediocre to bad baseball for months, but in their last 52 games, the Orioles have been a sub-.500 team.

There are several factors to blame for their struggles. Injuries haven't helped at all. Their bullpen has really struggled. One glaring issue, though, has been the play of Adley Rutschman, their star catcher. Rutschman got off to a great start leading to his second straight All-Star appearances, but has really slowed down as the season has progressed leading Orioles fans to aim their frustrations at him and Brandon Hyde, Baltimore's manager.

Orioles fans continue to wait for Brandon Hyde to move Adley Rutschman down in lineup

Despite all of his struggles, Rutschman has been hitting second in Baltimore's order just about every day. He hit fifth on occasion in the middle of August, but has hit second in each of his last 11 starts. He has responded by recording nine hits, eight of which have been singles in 43 at-bats in that stretch. Unfortunately, this has been all too familiar for Rutschman.

In the 46 games Rutschman has appeared in since July 7, he has slashed .191/.272/.272 with just two home runs and 13 RBI. Is that good enough to hit second consistently? No, and that can especially be said for a team like the Orioles that should be contending but has struggled.

If Rutschman was struggling but the team was winning, perhaps sticking with what's working would make some sense. Rutschman struggling while the Orioles can't seem to get going, though, means something has to be done.

What Baltimore can do to shake things up is relatively unclear. They're very left-handed heavy which is why having a potent switch-hitter like Rutschman at the top of their order can help. They also lack a prototypical No. 2 type of hitter which Rutschman is when he's right. The lack of a clear solution is likely why Rutschman has been able to remain in the No. 2 hole all the time.

Still, something needs to be done. This formula simply hasn't worked, and Rutschman has played a big role in that. Benching Rutschman entirely is not an option, but moving him down and shuffling things until they find something that works should be what Brandon Hyde does. Orioles fans don't care how the lineup looks as long as runs are being produced. Getting Rutschman's bat going in a spot with less pressure might be what wakes this team up.