- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 473,144
- Reaction score
- 45
For any Baltimore Orioles fan following the team this season, watching them struggle on offense has provided a lot of headaches. It's not been a pretty start so far, but Gunnar Henderson has been picking up the slack in a big way.
Henderson didn't start the season in the Orioles' lineup. He was out with a mild right intercoastal strain. Now, though, Henderson has put his injury woes in his rear-view mirror and is slashing at the plate.
In his last 15 games, Henderson has hit four home runs and put together a .958 OPS. These signs are ones that Orioles hitting coach Cody Asche can smile and feel better about right now. Yet those early-season woes remain on his mind.
“Something I lean on with my past experience as a player is there’s going to be ups and downs. Unfortunately, the start of this season has been more down than up,” Asche said, according to MLB.com.
“There’s no hiding behind that. But the beauty of baseball is that it’s a long season, and that those who are strong-minded and strong-willed continue to show up day after day and make small adjustments and keep building off small successes.”
Thanks to that long season, don't be surprised if Henderson's recent surge trickles down through the Baltimore lineup. Henderson hit a two-run homer in a four-run sixth inning on Sunday, lifting the Orioles over the Los Angeles Angels 7-3.
Those seven runs are worth taking note of as Baltimore had not scored that many since recording nine runs April 19 against the Cincinnati Reds.
Another note about the Baltimore offense: Take a look at what the Orioles had done in an 18-game span between April 20 and Saturday's game against the Angels. The Orioles had scored 43 runs, which were the fewest in MLB. Which team scored less than Baltimore during that time? The Pittsburgh Pirates.
“I thought our bats were really good in the middle part of the game,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We swung the bat pretty well against a left-handed starter.”
Hopefully, all of these offensive improvements can help Baltimore improve its win-loss record, too.
Continue reading...
Henderson didn't start the season in the Orioles' lineup. He was out with a mild right intercoastal strain. Now, though, Henderson has put his injury woes in his rear-view mirror and is slashing at the plate.
Gunnar Henderson heating up for O's
In his last 15 games, Henderson has hit four home runs and put together a .958 OPS. These signs are ones that Orioles hitting coach Cody Asche can smile and feel better about right now. Yet those early-season woes remain on his mind.
“Something I lean on with my past experience as a player is there’s going to be ups and downs. Unfortunately, the start of this season has been more down than up,” Asche said, according to MLB.com.
“There’s no hiding behind that. But the beauty of baseball is that it’s a long season, and that those who are strong-minded and strong-willed continue to show up day after day and make small adjustments and keep building off small successes.”
Thanks to that long season, don't be surprised if Henderson's recent surge trickles down through the Baltimore lineup. Henderson hit a two-run homer in a four-run sixth inning on Sunday, lifting the Orioles over the Los Angeles Angels 7-3.
Those seven runs are worth taking note of as Baltimore had not scored that many since recording nine runs April 19 against the Cincinnati Reds.
Orioles' offense better after tough stretch
Another note about the Baltimore offense: Take a look at what the Orioles had done in an 18-game span between April 20 and Saturday's game against the Angels. The Orioles had scored 43 runs, which were the fewest in MLB. Which team scored less than Baltimore during that time? The Pittsburgh Pirates.
“I thought our bats were really good in the middle part of the game,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We swung the bat pretty well against a left-handed starter.”
Hopefully, all of these offensive improvements can help Baltimore improve its win-loss record, too.
Continue reading...
