Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson continued his impressive form at the plate on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels, notching three hits and driving in three runs. However, it was his defensive play at second base that ultimately proved crucial in securing a 6-5 victory for the Orioles.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Angels had the potential tying run on base in the form of Jo Adell, who had drawn a walk. However, a great throw from catcher James McCann allowed Henderson to tag out Adell at second base, preventing the Angels from mounting a further comeback.
The Angels’ rally had started earlier in the inning when Mike Trout launched his 10th home run of the season, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball to reach that mark. Trout’s home run had given the Angels hope after they had trailed 6-0 going into the bottom of the sixth.
Despite the late rally, the Orioles managed to hold on for the victory, with Craig Kimbrel closing out the game for his seventh save of the season. The win was the first in a series finale for the Cardinals this season.
In other games around the league, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1, led by Kyle Gibson’s six effective innings on the mound and Lars Nootbaar’s two RBIs. The New York Mets avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants, with Francisco Lindor hitting two two-run homers in an 8-2 victory.
Elsewhere, the Cleveland Guardians’ Gavin Williams suffered a setback in his recovery from an elbow injury and will be shut down for at least another week. The Chicago Cubs placed outfielder Cody Bellinger on the injured list after he was found to have two fractured ribs on his right side, sidelining another key player for the struggling team.
