Orioles Have Faith in Cal Ripken’s Bat

When Cal Ripken Jr. goes into a slump, no one in the Baltimore Orioles organization goes into a funk.

When he goes on a tear, no one leaps into the air.

That is called confidence in a professional, no matter which way the winds are blowing.

Ripken has reached that status accorded players whose season-long numbers are almost taken for granted, a testimony to their proven worth.

So it is at the moment with the Oriole shortstop, who entered Tuesday night’s game with a .390 batting average in his last 15 games but with no home runs in nearly a month.

Neither figure is eliciting much of a reaction.

“We’re not concerned about the home runs,” Manager Frank Robinson said. “They’re just a matter of hitting under the ball another quarter of an inch.

“The main thing is that Cal is hitting the ball hard. The rest of it takes care of itself.”

Ripken is coming off a series in which he went 6 for 13 (.461) against Seattle and knocked in four runs in three games. He also had consecutive multi-hit games against the Mariners.

“I’m driving and stinging the ball,” he said. “If you consistently do that, the home runs will come. It’s just the result of seeing the ball and hitting it hard with a good swing.

“There’s nothing to be worried about. I’d be more concerned if I was hitting home runs and not getting any other hits.”

Ripken said he felt no added pressure to go deep now that he had supplanted Eddie Murray as the team’s cleanup hitter.

“At times through 162 games, you get streaks when you hit home run after home run. And other times, you just don’t,” he said. “But I know if you have the ability to do it, somehow it will work out.”

As with Murray before him, Ripken has been a consistent power hitter, collecting between 23 and 28 homers in each of his seven full seasons.

He is only the second shortstop (Ernie Banks is the other) to accomplish that feat.

But last season, he hit only one in his final 33 games (including a string of 29 straight without one) and, after hitting two in the first week this season (off Roger Clemens and Frank Viola), he has gone homerless since April 9.

“The guy’s track record speaks for itself,” Orioles hitting coach Tom McCraw said. “He knows what he wants to do. Guys like him and Phil Bradley, you just give them the vehicle and they adjust and get ready.

“Rip is hitting the ball hard. The home runs follow. Just pencil him in the lineup and don’t worry about him.”

Ripken began the season with a new batting stance, then went back to the old version after going 4 for 36 (.111).

Over the next 10 games, he batted .447 (17 for 38) and has remained hot.

“I don’t want to analyze about the stance,” he said. “You can think too much and get all messed up.”