April can be a weird time for baseball fans. Baseball is back, which is a whole lot of fun, but it's hard to know what to believe in terms of the results on the field. This year, there were some minor surprises with the Orioles' lineup decisions in the early going.
Dwight Smith Jr. has been an everyday lineup fixture in left field, and Rio Ruiz and Hanser Alberto are getting plenty of regular infield work. Mike Wright and Miguel Castro have pitched a handful of times in late-game situations by necessity, as manager Brandon Hyde has opted to deploy Mychal Givens in high-leverage situations. And this new coaching staff is continuing to sit Chris Davis often as his struggles at the plate continue.
One other early surprise is that Cedric Mullins, the presumed center fielder and leadoff man, is doing both of those things ... but only when a right-handed pitcher is on the mound. And that's because Mullins, a switch-hitter, is more of a weapon from the left side of the plate.
