ST. PETERSBURG -- Gunnar Henderson is finally looking like Gunnar Henderson again.
The Orioles’ 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, which sealed the victory in the eighth inning.
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.
But this week, Henderson is reminding everyone of his potential. On Tuesday, he homered as part of a 3-for-5 performance in a 5-2 win over the Twins, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. Then, he drew a pair of walks in Wednesday’s 7-5 loss at Minnesota.
Fresh off Thursday’s off-day, Henderson delivered his second four-hit game of the season -- and his first since May 17 at Washington -- to help the O’s snap Tampa Bay’s nine-game win streak.
Colton Cowser also homered for the Orioles, who took a 4-2 lead on Dylan Beavers’ pinch-hit two-run single in the seventh. An inning later, Henderson followed with his Statcast-projected 400-foot home run, his 20th of the year, to push the advantage to 6-2.
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.
The Orioles (59-63) are currently at a critical juncture in their season. They are still in the thick of the crowded AL Wild Card picture, and Friday marked their first of 10 straight games against the Rays and Yankees, the top two teams in the AL.