Henderson and Burnes star power propels O’s to 6-1 win over Red Sox

Gunnar delivered a Grand Slam and Burnes delivered one of his best starts of the year as Baltimore took the rubber match with Boston.

When you’re looking to finish off a series win against an AL East rival, you need your stars to step up. Wednesday against the Red Sox, Corbin Burnes and Gunnar Henderson did just that, as they propelled the O’s to a 6-1 win over Boston.

The defining moment of the game came early, as a big 2nd inning for the Birds buried Boston. The O’s bats went into the bottom of the 2nd down 1-0 thanks to an unearned run in the top of the inning. Looking to make up for an error, Colton Cowser got the rally started when he reached on a lead-off HBP. Anthony Santander followed that up with a single the other way to give O’s an immediate scoring threat. It looked like the Orioles might waste that opportunity as back-to-back fly outs from Mullins and Mateo left them with two on and two outs. Ramón Urías put those fears to rest though, as he dropped a single into CF to score Cowser and tie the game a 1-1.

However, a tie was simply not enough for the Orioles. James McCann walked to load the bases, setting the scene for another epic Gunnar Henderson moment. After falling behind 1-0, Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford left a sweeper over the middle of the plate and GUNNAR HENDERSON tattooed the ball, sending it flying into the center field bleachers for a grand slam. The ball was so well hit, you knew it was a home run before MASN even changed their camera angle.

All of those runs backed a stellar start by the Orioles’ ace. For the second time this season, Burnes was excellent against the Red Sox. The O’s ace must like facing Boston because in both starts against the Sawx this year he’s put together dominant, seven-innings. Burnes had everything working early, punching out leadoff hitter Jarren Duran on a high cutter before dropping a curveball on Wilyer Abreu for strike three.

It wasn’t until the chaotic 2nd inning that Burnes ran into any semblance of trouble. Connor Wong slashed a one-out single into LF for the Red Sox first hit of the day. Colton Cowser air-mailed the throw back into the infield, allowing Wong to scamper over to second. Burnes then tried to erase the mistake on a pick-off move to second. Instead, Gunnar Henderson whiffed on the catch at the base, sending the ball into center field and allowing Wong to move to third.

The O’s brought the infield in to try and prevent the run. Burnes got the ground ball he was looking for, but Jorge Mateo didn’t field it cleanly and the throw to the plate didn’t beat Wong. Once the O’s restore the lead in the bottom of the second, Burnes locked in and took his dominance to a level seemingly only available to him.

Red Sox SS David Hamilton worked a leadoff walk in the top of the 3rd, but the O’s ace calmly worked around the runner. Burnes hardly broke a sweat as he induced a ground out to third, and followed that with a pair of flyouts to strand the runner. He sandwiched a pair of K’s around a walk in the 4th as he breezed through another scoreless inning.

In the top of the 5th, Burnesy carved up the bottom of the Red Sox lineup for his first 1-2-3 inning since the top of the 1st. In the 6th, Abreu poked a single through the right side of the infield to pick up the Sawx first hit since the 2nd. Burnes almost ended the inning on a 5-4-3 double play, but Rob Refsnyder beat the throw to first. The O’s starter wasn’t fazed, as he got perennial All-Star Rafael Devers to lift a lazy fly ball to left to end the inning.

When Burnes came out for the 7th, he was looking to complete seven innings for the first time since his initial matchup with the Red Sox. Wong led off the inning with a bunt single and then moved to second on a grounder to first. When Burnes walked Vaughn Grissom to give Boston two base runners, it looked like Burnes was running out of gas.

Instead, he found the last bit of gas in his tank, getting Hamilton to fly out to left and punching out Ceddanne Rafaela to end the inning. After giving up one run over seven innings in his first start vs. Boston, Burnes gave up only an unearned run in seven magnificent innings Wednesday night.

Urías delivered another insurance run in the bottom of the 7th thanks to an absolute bomb of a HR. Leading off the inning, Urías worked the account full against Red Sox reliever Chase Anderson. The righty tried to punch out Urías on a changeup but left it over the plate and Ramón demolished it—sending it into the bullpen in left-center.

Danny Coulombe and Dillon Tate each worked a scoreless innings to close out the game and seal the win for Baltimore. The O’s are now 5-1 this season against the Red Sox, and 9-3 overall against the AL East. Everyone in Birdland will hope that form continues into June, as the O’s face AL East competition in four of their first six series next month.