Baltimore Orioles vs Chicago White Sox: 3 takeaways

Adam Jones is finding his midseason form

The Birds probably should have fared better against the stripped-down White Sox, but don’t blame their middling performance on Adam Jones. The center fielder was the only player to go yard in both Oriole wins, resulting in a .706 slugging percentage over the four-game slate.

Jones was one of three Birds to crack a solo shot on Monday night, providing just enough offense for a 3-2 win. Three days later, he participated in the team-wide assault on Lucas Giolito, launching a 92 mph fastball to center field for his ninth home run of the year.

The Thursday dinger came hot on the heels of a home run by Trey Mancini, making it back-to-back blasts for the O’s. Take a look:

Jones may have gotten off to a slow start this year, but he now appears to be in midseason form. Since May 4, he’s slashed an impressive .324/.361/.559. Even if the Orioles lineup isn’t keeping opposing pitchers up at night, that’s a solid level of production that could generate interest on the trade market.

Jones’ game has its shortcomings, even with his improvement at the plate: he rarely walks, and at 32 years old, he can’t patrol the outfield nearly as well as he once did. But the five-time All-Star has nevertheless been a consistent, all-around hitter near the top of Buck Showalter’s lineup — and that’s more than can be said for many of his teammates.