Gunnar Henderson, Orioles lose series to Tigers

DETROIT — As the Orioles continue to struggle to gain steam, it’s natural to turn to Gunnar Henderson, who leads them in many offensive categories (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and more) to help light the fire. At the end of the day, though, the guy the O’s look to as they navigate a fierce divisional race and a postseason push is still just 23 years old.

“It’s a lot to handle at once,” manager Brandon Hyde said before Baltimore’s 4-2 loss to the Tigers on Sunday at Comerica Park. “There are different stages as a Major League player, and the first one, honestly, is survival mode. And to be in survival mode, but also try to perform at this time of year with a team that’s trying to get to the postseason, it’s not easy.”

That’s a lot of pressure on a guy in just his second full season, but the way Henderson plays sometimes makes it easy to forget that he’s only got 332 career games under his belt. He’s also been training for this opportunity much, much longer than the five years since he was taken in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

“Growing up and competing instilled a great work ethic,” Henderson said just a few weeks after the O’s drafted him. “And then my mom and dad [taught] me to never give up and work your hardest.”

Henderson might be the focus of the O’s youth movement, but he’s certainly not the only fresh face on the field as the O’s struggled to muster any sort of offense against the Tigers in the finale.