One of the great pleasures of this season, including spring training, has been listening to manager Sam Perlozzo's countless Lou Piniella stories. They're all hilarious. Perlozzo could write a book.
And no, the last chapter won't be about Piniella taking Perlozzo's job. Don't even go there.
With Nick Markakis entrenched in the second spot in the order, look for Brandon Fahey to settle near the bottom when he returns to the lineup.
Fahey batted second in 29 games this season. He's hit eighth five times and ninth on four occasions.
"I think Brandon's more of a bottom-of-the-lineup guy, but he did a great job for us," Perlozzo said.
Catcher Ramon Hernandez is batting ninth again today, but he's not necessarily stuck there the rest of the season.
"If he starts swinging the bat, I'll be ready to move him anytime," Perlozzo said.
Hernandez is batting .193 in his last 19 games and .216 in 29 games since the All-Star break.
Take this as an encouraging sign: He's collected two hits in two of his last four games, his first multi-hit games since July 23.
Hernandez's biggest mistake was hitting the ball like Ted Williams early in the season. He was batting . 526 in his first 11 games, and his average stayed above .300 for longer than any of us could have imagined. He also went on a home run binge that hadn't been anticipated.
"I don't think we thought we were getting a .300-plus hitter when we got him, but we thought we were going to get a guy who would hit anywhere from .260 to .280," Perlozzo said.
The Orioles also figured Hernandez would hit 10-15 home runs. He collected his 14th and 15th on June 28th, the last time he's gone deep.
