Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays

Gunnar Henderson is finally looking like Gunnar Henderson again. And if the Orioles are going to make a run to the postseason, that’s something they badly need. Baltimore’s star shortstop had a huge game at Tropicana Field on Friday night, lifting his team to a series-opening 6-5 win over the Rays. Henderson went 4-for-4 with a pair of singles, a double and a two-run home run in the eighth inning that helped seal the victory. For so much of the season, Henderson hasn’t looked like the player who was among the best in the American League from 2023-25. Entering Tuesday, the 25-year-old was hitting .212 with a .675 OPS through 118 games played. He’s been tough on himself and candid throughout all of it, even stating once in late June that this year has been “probably one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever been through.” “You don’t really, obviously, want to think you’re going to go through bad times. But until you’re in it, you don’t really understand it,” said Henderson, whose OPS has gone up to .705. “There were definitely some long nights trying to find ways to get out of it, a lot of video watching and stuff. “But at the end of the day, it was more or less just clearing my mind and getting back to kind of how I get out there and play. That’s just with my hair on fire, and having a clear mind is a big part, and being able to just go out there and focus on the job at hand.” Henderson was hitting in the No. 5 hole in the lineup, the first time he’s batted below third this season. Baltimore stacked the top third of its order with right-handed sluggers against Tampa Bay opener Steven Matz -- including Pete Alonso, who hit leadoff for the first time in his MLB career \-\- which resulted in Henderson moving down slightly. It was the first time Henderson hit lower than fourth in the O’s lineup since Sept. 28, 2023, when he batted sixth in a 2-0 win over the Red Sox.