Orioles crush Rays, 8-0, behind Grayson Rodriguez and Gunnar Henderson to reach verge of postseason clinch

In games like these, youth and inexperience are often referenced as negatives. Grayson Rodriguez and Gunnar Henderson flipped that narrative Saturday night.

The Orioles’ two youngest players entered the season as the club’s top two prospects and among the sport’s best. In the biggest game of their careers, the pair proved that their immense talent matters far more than their lack of experience.

Rodriguez masterfully twirled eight scoreless innings, while Henderson hit an early home run to break the offense out of its slump to carry the Orioles to a crucial 8-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

“This is what you dream of whenever you go through the minor leagues together, is playing meaningful games in September,” Henderson said. “It was really fun to be able to go out there and especially watch him do his thing right behind him.”

The win ended Baltimore’s four-game losing streak and put the club back in sole possession of first place atop the American League East. With its win and the Texas Rangers’ loss, the Orioles’ magic number to make the playoffs fell to one.

If the Orioles (92-56) win Sunday, they will clinch their first playoff berth since 2016.

Rodriguez, 23, delivered the best start of his career, scattering just five hits and no walks while striking out seven. Entering the season, the right-hander was the sport’s second-best pitching prospect, according to Baseball America, but he struggled in his first stint in the majors and was demoted to Triple-A. He returned in July and has since cemented himself as not just one of the Orioles’ most reliable starters, but one of the best pitchers in the AL.

Henderson, 22, clobbered a 428-foot home run off Rays starter Tyler Glasnow in the second inning to give the Orioles an early 4-0 lead. The shortstop was the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball before the season and is the front-runner to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

“You’ve all seen what Gunnar can do,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve gotten to watch that for a lot longer than a lot of these Orioles fans have, I guess, since being in the minor leagues together. I’m glad the world’s finally seeing what kind of special talent he is.”

The Orioles entered Saturday reeling, and they needed a way to turn around their losing ways. There Rodriguez and Henderson were to breathe life into the struggling club and deliver it a vital triumph. After it, the two youngsters did the postgame interview on the field together and shared the Gatorade bath.

“They stepped up, and we had a lot of guys step up, but those two guys for sure,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “And they’re high-character, ultra-competitive guys. They have no fear. They think they belong, and they think they should succeed.

“They’re just unbelievably competitive and really, really want to win, and it matters to them.”

The AL’s two best teams entered the four-game set at Camden Yards with the top spot in the AL East in the balance. After losing the first two games of the series, the Orioles dropped into a tie with the Rays — the first time Baltimore hadn’t been in sole possession of first place since claiming it in Tampa Bay in July.

Each game this series is twice as meaningful as a normal game given the stakes for the division. But the Orioles winning just one game this weekend was even more critical, as it would give the club the season series over the Rays for the first time since 2016. That head-to-head record is used as the tiebreaker, so Baltimore’s one-game lead over Tampa Bay (92-58) is effectively two. Given that, the Orioles’ magic number to win the division fell from 15 to 12.

“Everybody showed up ready to play ball,” Rodriguez said. “We hadn’t really run into a stretch like this, but I don’t think you could really tell that from the guys. Attitudes didn’t change. Everyone was still confident in their ability to win a baseball game.”

While the easiest way for the Orioles to clinch a playoff spot is to win Sunday, they can also do so if the Seattle Mariners lose late Saturday night and Sunday or if the Mariners lose one of their next two and the Rangers lose Sunday.

“I’m not talking about it,” Hyde said, not wanting to jinx anything. “I’m not saying the word.”

The win gives the Orioles 40 more wins this year than they had in 2021 when they won just 52 games. Excluding shortened seasons, they’re the fifth team in MLB history — and first since 1963 — to improve that much in a two-year span, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The record is 41 held by three teams before 1940.

Around the horn

• Before the game, the Orioles recalled right-handed reliever Mike Baumann and optioned Bryan Baker to Triple-A. Baumann was one of the club’s most reliable relievers through the season’s first four months before struggling in August.
• Closer Félix Bautista played catch for the second day in a row Saturday for what is believed to be the first time since he injured his elbow in late August. Bautista, perhaps the best reliever in the sport, is on the 15-day injured list with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament.
• Hyde said first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who hasn’t played since Wednesday with left shoulder discomfort, felt “just OK” after taking swings Friday. Hyde hoped Mountcastle would be available off the bench Saturday, but he wasn’t needed in the blowout victory.
• Triple-A Norfolk right-hander Chayce McDermott (back strain), the Orioles’ No. 13 prospect, and Tides outfielder Daz Cameron (sprained finger) were placed on the injured list Saturday.

This story will be updated.

Rays at Orioles

Sunday, 1:35 p.m.

TV: MASN

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

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