Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson points finger at himself for offensive struggles

Following their 5-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, the Baltimore Orioles are now 13-15 on the season. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson admits Baltimore’s lineup hasn’t lived up to their expectations.

Hitting towards the top of that lineup, Henderson knows his own struggles have played a big role in the Orioles’ slow start. The shortstop is well aware of what he must do to help energize the offense, via Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner.

“I’d like to take some of the responsibility,” Henderson said. “I haven’t really been getting on base for the guys behind me. Being able to do that, I just got to keep working my butt off. So I’d like to take some responsibility for that.”

On Sunday, Henderson hit his ninth home run of the season, going 2-for-4 overall with two RBI. On the season, he is now hitting .210 with nine home runs, 18 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. The counting stats look solid, but the Orioles want to see Henderson be a bit more consistent at the dish. His .280 on base percentage ranks ninth among Baltimore players with at least 10 games player.

The Orioles as a team rank 15th in the league with 125 runs scored. They’ve been driven by their 34 home runs, which are tied for eighth-most in the league. But Baltimore’s 257 strikeouts are ninth-highest in the league. They’ll take the power, but the O’s want to be able to drive in runs without the longball as well.

That includes Henderson. Baltimore is well aware of what the shortstop brings to the table. But he needs to be at the top of his game for the Orioles to truly soar.

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