DETROIT -- Battle tested.
Those are the two words Gunnar Henderson used to describe what the 2024 Orioles will be by the time the postseason rolls around. He¡¯s looking forward to it, and so are his teammates.
One season ago, Baltimore won 101 regular-season games, claimed its first American League East title in nearly a decade, secured the top postseason seed and then was swept -- for the first time all year -- in the AL Division Series.
Perhaps last season was too easy, and a lack of pressure during the first six months was not adequate preparation for the final three days. If that¡¯s true, the O¡¯s -- who beat the Tigers, 4-2, on Saturday night at Comerica Park -- might very well be firing on all cylinders come this October after weathering the second half.
¡°It¡¯s no secret that the ball hasn¡¯t been bouncing our way, that things haven¡¯t gone our way,¡± said James McCann, whose sacrifice fly kicked off the Orioles¡¯ three-run seventh. ¡°But one thing about this clubhouse, [is that] we¡¯ve stayed close through it all. We are going to keep driving together.¡±
Baltimore hasn¡¯t been too up or too down since the All-Star break, but it¡¯s still just two games behind the Yankees in the division and has a two-game lead on the Royals for the top AL Wild Card spot. It's certainly not a bad position to be in. Still, the Orioles know they can do better, and are working to foster a sense of urgency before they¡¯re faced with win-or-go-home baseball.
¡°I feel like it¡¯s good to be battle tested, because last year we didn¡¯t really get that not being swept the whole year,¡± Henderson said following a 1-0 loss in the series opener. ¡°This year, we have to play a little more gritty and just a little more together. ¡ I feel like all it takes is one little spark, and we¡¯ll get hot again.¡±
Henderson, who finished 2-for-3 as Baltimore evened the series, did what he could to be that spark. Frustrated with the opener that saw the O¡¯s garner just one hit -- his triple -- the reigning AL Rookie of the Year led off the game with a walk and then stole second. When he was stranded at third to end the inning, Henderson marched back up in the third, slugged a two-out double and then scored on Cedric Mullins¡¯ ensuing single
Henderson wasn¡¯t done. Already the owner of the franchise¡¯s single-season home run record for a shortstop, he came to bat again in the seventh and connected for No. 37, a two-run shot to right that pushed Baltimore¡¯s lead to 4-0.
If anyone can light a fire under the O¡¯s, it¡¯s Henderson, who¡¯s hitting .375 (18-for-48) with four doubles, a triple, four home runs and nine RBIs in 12 September games.
¡°[Henderson is] a great all-around player,¡± said Tigers catcher Jake Rogers. ¡°... He's one of the best right now, and he deserves recognition for it. He hits the ball hard and often."
The insurance runs came in handy in the ninth, when Detroit rallied to score twice off Seranthony Dom¨ªnguez and bring the winning run to the plate with two outs. Dom¨ªnguez coaxed Zach McKinstry into a game-ending groundout, but Henderson¡¯s knocks made things a bit less panicked.
¡°Gunnar just getting a pitch to hit and putting an exclamation point on that inning [was great],¡± manager Brandon Hyde said. ¡°Any time we can create some separation runs-wise, as you saw in the ninth inning, the better we are for it. That¡¯s something we¡¯ve had a tough time with this year, and it was a huge hit for us at the time.¡±
While Henderson steered the offense, Corbin Burnes¡¯ commanding seven innings made sure the Tigers gained no momentum. Burnes held Detroit scoreless on just two hits -- a pair of singles from Colt Keith -- struck out seven and walked just one.
After a bumpy August, Burnes has a 1.57 ERA across his past four starts (23 innings). His batterymate was quick to laud the bounceback, although even with a few rocky outings, the righty still has 21 quality starts in 30 tries this season, tied for second most in the AL behind Seattle¡¯s Logan Gilbert, who has 22.
¡°That¡¯s the best I¡¯ve seen [Burnes] in a long time,¡± McCann said. ¡°He commanded the baseball extremely well to both sides of the plate. Had everything working from the get-go, and the results showed.¡±