masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgOutfielder David Lough makes his Orioles debut tonight. He’ll bat second against Boston’s John Lackey and play in left field.

He said it’s pretty clear-cut what his No. 1 job is when batting high in the order like tonight.

“Just get on base. I get on base, I score,” Lough said. “Look who is hitting behind me. A lot of great hitters. My job in that two hole is to get on base.”

After being acquired by the Orioles for Danny Valencia in a Dec. 18 trade with Kansas City, Lough was on a big…Outfielder David Lough makes his Orioles debut tonight. He’ll bat second against Boston’s John Lackey and play in left field.

He said it’s pretty clear-cut what his No. 1 job is when batting high in the order like tonight.

“Just get on base. I get on base, I score,” Lough said. “Look who is hitting behind me. A lot of great hitters. My job in that two hole is to get on base.”

After being acquired by the Orioles for Danny Valencia in a Dec. 18 trade with Kansas City, Lough was on a big league opening day roster for the first time on Monday.

“It was something special,” Lough said. “The guys were saying how well the city of Baltimore does it here. Just to be a part of it, I actually got to run out first on the carpet. Was something special. It’s exciting. After that win the other day, it’s exciting to get in there.”

Late in spring training Lough missed about a week with a neck injury. But he returned to the lineup March 20 and went 7-for-19 (.368) with two doubles over his last six spring games. He said he is 100 percent now.

“Neck is fine. That is in the past now,” Lough said. “I get neck stretches on a regular basis. No problems or anything. Ready to go.”

Lough was a 27-year-old rookie in the big leagues last year with Kansas City and finished eighth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. He became the first KC rookie to ever have a four-hit game. He hit his first big league homer on June 11 off Detroit’s Max Scherzer.

On defense Lough made 68 starts in right field, seven in left and five in center field.

He starts in left tonight. Anything he has to learn or adjust to playing left here at Camden Yards?

“No, not really. The dimensions down in Sarasota at one of the fields, are the same dimensions as this park here,” Lough said. “I’m used to a bigger park like in Kansas City. But I think it plays well for me. Being smaller than it is in Kansas City, I can cover a lot more ground.”

Lough also can provide the O’s lineup an element that is mostly missing and that is speed. Lough has stolen six-of-eight (75 percent) bases in the majors and he stole 96-of-138 (69.5 percent) in his minor league career.

“I kept telling people I should be a 30-bag guy, year in and year out. I feel like I’m capable of doing that and bringing above average speed to this team,” he said.