Red Sox Wrap: Gunnar Henderson’s Grand Slam Takes Down Boston

A rough second inning did in the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night and allowed the Baltimore Orioles to take the rubber match of the series with a 6-1 win at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The Red Sox are back to .500 on the season with a 28-28 record while the Orioles improved to 35-19.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters prior to the series finale that Gunnar Henderson will be a “pain in the butt” for teams in the American League East for years to come.

That proved accurate rather quickly.

Henderson, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, provided the game-altering hit in the second inning when he blasted a grand slam with two outs off Kutter Crawford. That was more than enough offense for the Orioles as they tagged Crawford, who tossed six innings and allowed four hits with two walks and five strikeouts, for five runs in the frame.

Henderson is just part of the high-end talent the Orioles possesses and that many teams, including the Red Sox, should envy. Baltimore also had ace Corbin Burnes on the mound and he limited the Boston to just three hits.

Henderson is an integral part of Baltimore’s young core and at just 22 years old, the Red Sox should get used to his standout play for a long time and just hope it doesn’t always come at their expense.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Henderson delivered the biggest hit of the game as his home run traveled 422 feet to right-center field. The Orioles leadoff hitter finished 1-for-4.

— Connor Wong recorded two out of Boston’s six hits in the game and he scored the only run for the Red Sox in the top of the second. He’s batting .329 on the season.

— Burnes turned in a dominant outing to notch his fifth win of the season. He tossed seven strong innings and let up no unearned runs while walking three and striking out five.

UP NEXT
The Red Sox head back to Fenway Park where they welcome in the Detroit Tigers for a four-game series starting Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.