Don't be fooled by those reporters who seem to elevate him to the skies before the games start. If there's any problem with performance on the field, they'll be the first to throw you down to the ground. Just thinking about how to deal with the media is enough to give Machado a headache.
So to give himself some room to breathe, he must get a hit in this at-bat—being 1-for-4 may not sound much better than 0-for-4, but at least it leaves some room for maneuver; as a young star in the Orioles and the entire Major League, being struck out four times in a single game by the newly-debuted Lin Guanglai would be quite embarrassing.
Moreover, as a top-tier MLB hitter, Machado has somewhat figured out Lin Guanglai's tricks in the first three at-bats. Lin Guanglai's repertoire appears difficult to deal with, but it isn't entirely flawless.
