Orioles GM sticking by slumping Davis

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis hasn't recorded a hit since Sept. 14, a span of 54 at-bats - and 62 plate appearances - after Friday night's 6-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

Despite his historic futility at the dish, Orioles general manager Mike Elias isn't ready to call it quits on the former slugger. He says the team remains committed to helping him break out of the slump.

"Absolutely. I've said before, he's on this team and it's no secret the fact that we have a large and long commitment to him, so our focus is going to be on getting the best performance out of him that we possibly can," Elias said Friday, according to Dan Connolly of The Athletic. "Now, part of that might be picking spots for his playing time in the middle of this. And I think that (manager Brandon Hyde) has done that and been very clear about that in terms of trying to play him in situations where he is most likely to help the team and have success."

Relegated to pinch-hitting duties Friday, Davis entered the game with two outs in the top of the ninth. For a split second, the streak appeared ready to end when he ripped a liner to right field, but it went directly into the shift.

The Orioles' coaching staff is looking into strategies to shake Davis out of his prolonged cold spell, though Elias didn't share specific approaches.

"We're gonna look at every variable, and so that could be things with his swing, with his approach, and related topics. I don't think there is a magic bullet. I think there's going to be a number of things that will need to improve in conjunction with one another. It's difficult to embark on that type of change while a season is ongoing, so we're just going to do as much as we can incrementally to get him into a better place."

Davis' unfortunate record continues to grow with each unsuccessful trip to the dish. He set the major-league record Thursday when he went hitless in his 58th consecutive plate appearance.