Henderson Goes 4-for-4, Orioles Survive Tampa's Ninth-Inning Scare

Gunnar Henderson was a perfect 4-for-4 with a home run, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored as Baltimore edged Tampa Bay 6-5 on Friday night. The Orioles built a four-run cushion through eight innings, then held on as the Rays scored three times in the ninth to make it genuinely uncomfortable.

The game traded punches early and often. Christian Encarnacion-Strand's sacrifice fly to right put Baltimore on top in the second, but Richie Palacios answered immediately with a double to right that scored Hicks and knotted it at one. The third inning was more of the same: Colton Cowser launched a 420-foot shot to center — the swing that shifted the night's biggest probability needle, flipping Tampa Bay's home win probability from 63% to 44% — only for the Rays to tie it again when Mesa Jr. singled to center and scored Caminero. Through three innings, neither team could hold a lead for more than a half-inning.

The story of the night was Baltimore's middle innings. The Orioles went quiet for three frames, then broke the game open in the seventh when Dylan Beavers singled to right, scoring both Henderson and Taveras to push the lead to 4-2. Henderson then put the game away — or so it seemed — with a 400-foot homer to right center in the eighth that scored O'Neill and made it 6-2. Beavers finished 2-for-2 with 2 RBI, and Henderson's night looked like one of those performances that makes opposing pitchers want to skip the box score entirely.

Tampa Bay's bullpen kept the Rays in it long enough for the lineup to make things interesting. Jonathan Aranda's single to right in the ninth scored Palacios and Walls to cut it to 6-4, and a Caminero groundout to third brought home Mateo to make it 6-5. The Rays had the tying run on base and the go-ahead run at the plate before Baltimore's bullpen slammed the door. Chris Bassitt gave Baltimore 5.1 innings of work, allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. Andrew Kittredge tossed a clean inning of relief, allowing just one hit and no runs. Tampa Bay's Jesse Scholtens lasted only 3 innings, giving up 2 earned runs, which appears to have put the Rays' bullpen in a difficult spot from the jump. Baltimore takes the 6-5 final and, on a night when Henderson was untouchable, it's hard to argue with the outcome.