Future uncertain, Davis keeps racking up homers
BALTIMORE -- As many home runs as Chris Davis has had robbed, a count of at least five this year, the Orioles' slugger has still put up some ridiculous power numbers. Davis, who will be eligible for free agency at the end of the season -- continued to up his stock Wednesday night, homering twice in the Orioles' 8-1 win over the Blue Jays.
"I've said all along Chris is a body of work guy," manager Buck Showalter said. "When you get through and step back, he can do a lot of things that not many people can do. He may go some at-bats and just not look aesthetically pleasing, but he's always one swing, one at-bat. ... He squares up a ball, it goes where you can't defend it."
Davis' 45 homers leads the Major Leagues, and he eclipsed the 200-mark for his career in the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader. Davis has hit 159 homers as an Oriole, which is good enough for 10th place on the club's all-time list, and he's well-aware that his days in Baltimore could be numbered.
"It's just trying to enjoy being around these guys and knowing that we have several guys in position to go to other teams, their future is kind of uncertain here. It's just trying to enjoy these last few days," Davis said. "This is a special group of guys; it has been for the four years I've been here. I feel like every clubhouse group we have had has been extremely close, like a family."
Video: TOR@BAL: Davis smashes 200th career home run in 7th
Davis' first homer Wednesday came two pitches after Manny Machado's solo shot put the O's on the board in the bottom of the seventh. Davis drove Toronto reliever Ryan Tepera's 0-1 pitch into right-center field to complete the back-to-back shots. Davis homered in the next inning off Steve Delabar for his 201st career homer, a ball which Statcast™ projected landed 436 feet away.
"It's awesome. People doubted him and he came back and showed it again," Machado said of Davis, who is coming off a down 2014 that ended with a 25-game Adderall suspension. "He's a great hitter. He has an approach -- people talk about his strikeout rate being high or whatever -- but he responds with the walks and the home runs. He's a great hitter and it's been fun to watch and fun to learn from. Hopefully he comes back next year and helps us out. He's a big key to this organization and the success we've had here the last couple years."