Following a two-game absence because of a mild left ankle sprain suffered last Thursday, Adam Jones returned to the Orioles lineup for Monday’s series opener in Houston.
Manager Buck Showalter elected to use Jones as his designated hitter in the No. 3 spot in the order as the Orioles faced Astros left-hander Brett Oberholtzer. David Lough was once again serving as the center fielder in Jones’ place as he did over the final two games of the Tampa Bay series.
Mired in a 1-for-22 slump that includes 11 strikeouts over that stretch, Jimmy Paredes was not in the starting lineup for the first time since April 21. His batting average has fallen from .353 to .314 over his last five games after a blistering start to the 2015 season.
Shortstop J.J. Hardy was also on the bench in the series opener due to left side soreness. The 32-year-old is hitting just .190 in his first 87 plate appearances after missing the first 25 games of the season with a left shoulder injury.
Veteran Everth Cabrera was starting in his place at shortstop on Monday night.
