Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson had a message after a loss to the Washington Nationals.
The Baltimore Orioles dropped Friday’s series opener against the Washington Nationals by a final score of 3-2. The Orioles now sit five games under .500, and the pressure is mounting for the current group to get going.
Friday felt like a good opportunity to take advantage of a lower-tier opponent, but that did not happen. Baltimore was held scoreless for the first eight innings, unable to generate any momentum until the ninth, where they rallied but ultimately fell one run short.
Washington's starter Zack Littell entered the game with an ERA of 6.94. After the game, it had dropped all the way down to 6.10 following five scoreless innings of work. After the game, shortstop Gunnar Henderson spoke with reporters and addressed Baltimore’s shortcomings offensively.
“Early on, I felt like we had a lot of really good swings, and obviously the hits did not show it, but I loved our at-bats today and obviously we got it going there in the 9th. But all around, I felt like we should have won that game,” Henderson said (h/t Jake Rill of MLB.com).
Henderson himself had a solid night, going 2-for-5 and driving in one of the ninth-inning runs. But as he noted, feeling like they should have won is not the same as actually closing out a game. The Orioles had chances, and they let them slip away.
Baltimore had a busy offseason retooling the roster and adding proven talent around Henderson, but the results have not shown up yet.
Still, it starts with Henderson finding his rhythm again. He has been a disappointment so far, posting a .197 batting average, .253 on-base percentage, .646 OPS, nine home runs and 21 RBIs. His strikeout rate has also spiked, with 57 punchouts in just 198 plate appearances.
The hope is that Henderson can turn it around soon. His best season came just two years ago in 2024 when he earned an All-Star selection and finished fourth in American League MVP voting. The year before that, he won AL Rookie of the Year and a Silver Slugger. The talent is there, but the consistency has not been.
It is difficult for the Orioles to get rolling when their best player is not performing like one. Baltimore will look to get back on track Saturday in game two of the three-game set at Nationals Park, hoping Henderson’s words can deliver a much-needed response.