The Baltimore Orioles beat the Washington Nationals 7-3 on Sunday largely because they hit for average, which hasn’t happened nearly enough this year. They went 11-for-36 (.306) with one walk, but are tied for just 24th in baseball with a .232 team batting average.
It’s no coincidence that the Orioles are fourth in the AL East at 21-26 and are third-to-last in the AL with a -44 run differential. It will be hard to rise the ranks if they don’t hit more consistently.
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Left fielder Taylor Ward leads the team (minimum 40 games played) with a .262 average, while star first baseman Pete Alonso and star shortstop Gunnar Henderson are hitting just .215 and .214, respectively. Ward has only one more hit than Henderson, but has 30 more walks.
Catchers/designated hitters Samuel Basallo and Adley Rutschman have been more effective in fewer games, as Basallo is hitting .277 across 37 games while Rutschman is hitting .268 over 30. Still, Baltimore doesn’t have one player hitting above .280 other than injured first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (.286 in eight games).
Although continued production from Basallo, Rutschman, and Ward would help, the situation won’t be solved until Henderson and Alonso improve.
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2). © Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Henderson showed why he’s a former All-Star and AL Rookie of the Year honoree on Sunday, as he went 4-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs, and a run scored. It was the 24-year-old’s first four-hit game of the season and only his second with more than two hits.
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Henderson’s power never left this year, as he tops Baltimore with 10 homers and a .423 slugging percentage (minimum 40 games). The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder is also tied with Rutschman and Alonso for second on the team with 24 RBIs.
Alonso is similar to Henderson, as he’s also second with eight homers and a .412 slugging percentage. If both players get back to around their career batting averages this season, the Orioles will have more of a chance to contend. Henderson has a .263 average since debuting in 2022, and Alonso has a .251 average since debuting in 2019.
Up next for Baltimore is a road series against the Tampa Bay Rays before hosting the Detroit Tigers, Rays and Toronto Blue Jays to close out May. After that, it’ll hit the road to face the Boston Red Sox and Blue Jays.
Monday’s series opener against Tampa Bay starts at 6:40 p.m. ET.