MINNEAPOLIS — The Baltimore Orioles have continued to stick with Gunnar Henderson at the top of their lineup despite his season-long slump only getting worse over the past month.
It paid off Tuesday.
Henderson entered their game against the Minnesota Twins hitless in his last 16 at-bats and carrying a .675 OPS that ranked 127th among the 142 qualified players across MLB. Yet there he was in the leadoff spot once again, thrust front and center atop an Orioles lineup whose overall struggles this season have mirrored that of their star shortstop.
This time, he took advantage. Henderson singled off Twins starter Bailey Ober's second pitch of the game and went on to go 3 for 5, finishing a triple short of the cycle. His two-run home run in the second inning was one of three the Orioles launched in their 5-2 win. It marked the first multi-hit game for Henderson since July 20 and served as a reminder of what kind of player the 25-year-old can be when he's going right.
Baltimore (58-62) homered off Ober in each of the first three frames. Pete Alonso took him deep a few pitches after Henderson's first-inning single for his 26th of the season, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand launched a 460-foot moonshot to straightaway center field in the third. Encarnacion-Strand's blast was the longest by an Oriole since Jordan Westburg went 461 feet against the Atlanta Braves on July 5, 2025.
#game
It paid off Tuesday.
Henderson entered their game against the Minnesota Twins hitless in his last 16 at-bats and carrying a .675 OPS that ranked 127th among the 142 qualified players across MLB. Yet there he was in the leadoff spot once again, thrust front and center atop an Orioles lineup whose overall struggles this season have mirrored that of their star shortstop.
This time, he took advantage. Henderson singled off Twins starter Bailey Ober's second pitch of the game and went on to go 3 for 5, finishing a triple short of the cycle. His two-run home run in the second inning was one of three the Orioles launched in their 5-2 win. It marked the first multi-hit game for Henderson since July 20 and served as a reminder of what kind of player the 25-year-old can be when he's going right.
Baltimore (58-62) homered off Ober in each of the first three frames. Pete Alonso took him deep a few pitches after Henderson's first-inning single for his 26th of the season, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand launched a 460-foot moonshot to straightaway center field in the third. Encarnacion-Strand's blast was the longest by an Oriole since Jordan Westburg went 461 feet against the Atlanta Braves on July 5, 2025.
#game
2 months ago
