Henderson shines in the field on quiet night for O's

PHOENIX -- The Orioles couldn’t strengthen their hold on the American League East by picking up a game on the second-place Rays on Friday night. However, Baltimore phenom Gunnar Henderson strengthened his case for AL Rookie of the Year with one of the best defensive plays turned by the O’s this season.

In Baltimore’s series-opening 4-2 loss to Arizona at Chase Field, Henderson turned a remarkable double play to end the fourth inning. The 22-year-old shortstop corralled a Nick Ahmed popup with a basket catch in shallow left field and then threw out fellow rookie sensation Corbin Carroll at home.

“This team shows no signs of quitting ever. You see that with Gunnar every night,” said left-hander Cole Irvin, who was on the mound at the time of the play.

The positive momentum created by the highlight-reel moment wasn’t enough to power the Orioles, who lost for only the fourth time in 13 games.

• Games remaining: at AZ (2), at LAA (3), at BOS (3), vs. STL (3), vs. TB (4), at HOU (3), at CLE (4), vs. WAS (2), vs. BOS (4)

• Standings update: The Orioles (83-51) remained 1 1/2 games up in the AL East over the second-place Rays (82-53), who lost to the Guardians. Baltimore currently has the best record in the AL, meaning it would not have to play a Wild Card Series and would head to the AL Division Series as the No. 1 seed.

The D-backs held a 2-1 lead in the fourth, and they had runners on the corners with one out against Irvin. Ahmed connected on a 2-2 slider from the left-hander and hit it to shallow left field, where both Henderson and left fielder Austin Hays tried to track it down.

But it was Henderson who brought in the fly ball, with his back turned to the diamond and his hat falling off in the process. He covered 106 feet on the play, per Statcast. And he knew the underhanded basket style was his only chance of completing the catch.

“I feel like you don’t really have time to turn around and get up under it, so that was probably the best way to go about it,” Henderson said.

Then, Henderson immediately turned and fired a 90.2 mph throw to the plate. Carroll was running at a sprint speed of 31.1 feet per second -- anything at 30 or more is considered elite by Statcast -- and yet, he still couldn’t beat Henderson’s throw, as Carroll was tagged out by catcher Adley Rutschman to end the inning.

Henderson said he’s never practiced such a play before. So how did he read the situation so well in the moment and collect himself enough to turn a stellar catch into an incredible chain of events?

“That comes kind of instinctively,” Henderson said.

MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect at the start of the season, Henderson has routinely found ways to impress for the Orioles in his first full big league campaign. He moves between shortstop and third base seamlessly, providing tremendous defense at both.

Friday’s defensive gem somehow may have been Henderson’s greatest yet.

“Just so athletic to be able to catch it going back and spin and make an accurate throw there with a plus runner at third base,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “And then Adley with a great deke and tag there, with the way he positioned himself. There wasn’t going to be a play, and then, last second, catch and tag.”

Henderson, who is slashing .254/.332/.481 through 123 games, contributed offensively as well in the opener vs. Arizona. He went 2-for-4 and scored both of Baltimore’s runs, coming around on a two-out single by Ryan O’Hearn in the first and a two-out double by O’Hearn in the eighth.

Hyde has been advocating for Henderson to become the first Orioles player to win AL Rookie of the Year since 1989 (Gregg Olson), and the skipper continued that campaign Friday night.

“He had a great game, and he’s showing everybody why he’s Rookie of the Year. It’s fun to watch him play right now,” Hyde said. “But we’ve got to do a lot more offensively. We haven’t been swinging the bat very well.”

Baltimore went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base while scoring less than six runs for the sixth time in eight games.

With eight more contests on this three-city road trip -- two remaining against the D-backs then three apiece vs. the Angels and Red Sox -- the Orioles will look to move past their disappointing start. As long as they do so, they can remain atop the AL East before returning home Sept. 11.

“We’ve just got to take it day by day. Can’t hold down too long on a loss,” Henderson said. “We’re definitely going to come out and try to win the game tomorrow.”