On a 67 degree sunny day in Southern California, the Baltimore Orioles held on to beat the LA Angels 6-5 and go 4-2 on the road trip. It was certainly a case of “sun’s out, Gunnar’s out”.
Gunnar Henderson was a force to be reckoned with for sure. The 22 year-old shortstop went 3 for 3 with a double, a homerun, 3 runs scored, 3 RBI, a stolen base and was hit twice by Angels pitchers. On defense, Henderson ended the eighth inning with a dazzling back-up and throw to first on a ball that got past Jordan Westburg (1 for 5). Henderson also played a pivitol role in the final out of the game, a James McCann (1 for 5, 2B, R) throw catching Jo Adell trying to steal second base. Henderson applied the tag and the call was upheld upon review.
Adley Rutschman contributed a 2 for 5, 1 RBI day at the plate and Jorge Mateo went 1 for 4 with a run scored and 1 RBI.
Anthony Santander (1 for 2, 2 BB, HBP) and Westburg each contributed a hit.
Equally impressive was the start Dean Kremer (1-2) put in. Kremer allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, one a Mike Trout homerun, while walking 1 and striking out 10 over 5.1 innings, earning him the win.
Four relievers followed Kremer and each of them struck out at least one Angel batter; the Orioles struck out a total of 16 batters in the game.
Craig Kimbrel allowed 1 unearned run on 1 hit with a walk and a strikeout in the ninth inning to earn his seventh save of the season.
Just one question remains after the game and that is will Gunnar pilot the team’s charter flight back to Baltimore?
2024 Record: 16-8
Next Game: Fri. 4/26 @ 7:05 pm vs. Oakland Athletics