ANAHEIM, Calif. — Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson continued his hot streak at the plate Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels.
The shortstop’s biggest play, though, was defensively when he tagged out Jo Adell at second base after a great throw by catcher James McCann for the final out as the Orioles held on for a 6-5 victory.
Adell drew a walk with two outs, but was caught stealing as he tried to get into scoring position as the potential tying run after the Angels trailed 6-0 going into the bottom of the sixth. Mike Trout started Los Angeles’ rally by becoming the first player in the majors to reach 10 home runs this season.
“I felt like I got a good tag on him. It was really close,” said Henderson, who had three hits and drove in three runs. “We’re very fortunate that they called it out on the field.”
The call stood after a lengthy replay review. Major League Baseball said in a statement the replay official could not definitively determine that Adell touched second base before Henderson applying the tag
Angels manager Ron Washington and Adell both thought it should have been overturned.
“The guy on the mound (Craig Kimbrell) was slow. The opportunity was there and we took it,” Washington said. “From all replays we saw, it looked like he was safe but we don’t make the call.”
Adell said he felt like his foot reached the bag before the tag.
“A little disappointing to end the game that way. But hopefully we can get those right moving forward,” he said.
Kimbrell gave up a run in the ninth, but held on to pick up his seventh save of the season. It was also the 424th of his career, tied with John Franco for sixth on the all-time list.
Henderson is 9 of 20 in the last five games. The shortstop, last year’s unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year, homered for the second straight game when he led off the third with a drive off Tyler Anderson (2-3). It was Henderson’s eighth of the season, which is second in the American League.
Adley Rutschman had his 12th multihit game of the year with two hits and an RBI.
“He’s done everything. He’s playing great defense, homers, steals, running the bases, hits. It’s been awesome,” manager Brandon Hyde said of Henderson.
Batting leadoff for the second straight day, Trout got the Angels on the board with a solo shot down the left-field line off Dean Kremer (1-2) in the sixth. It’s the third time in the past seven seasons Trout has been the first in the majors to reach double digits in homers.
Taylor Ward and Zach Neto also homered for the Angels, who have dropped five of six.
“We were gong to keep fighting until the final out. We had a chance at the end and didn’t come through,” Trout said.
Kremer didn’t allow a hit until Adell’s single with two outs in the fifth. The right-hander struck out 10 in 5 2/3 innings with two runs allowed on three hits.
After Henderson connected on Anderson’s cutter for his third homer this season against the Angels, he led off the fifth with a double and scored on Rutschman’s base hit.
Baltimore broke it open with four in the sixth as the first five hitters got aboard against José Suarez. After Jorge Mateo’s run-scoring, ground-rule double, Henderson had the key hit with a liner up the middle to plate two more.
Anderson allowed two runs and four hits with four walks and seven strikeouts. The left-hander threw 105 pitches, the second-most he has tossed in the first five innings in his nine-year career.
After Nolan Schanuel’s base hit chased Kremer in the sixth, Ward hit Jacob Webb’s first pitch just over the outstretched glove at the wall in right-center to get the Angels within 6-3.
Neto led off the eighth with a first-pitch solo shot to left for his first this season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Hyde said LHP John Means (left forearm strain) will start Sunday’s game against Oakland or get another rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk.
Angels: 3B Miguel Sanó left in the sixth due to left knee soreness.
UP NEXT
Orioles: Return home for three games against Oakland. RHP Corbin Burnes (3-0, 2.76 ERA) gets the call Friday night.
Angels: LHP Patrick Sandoval (1-3, 6.75 ERA) gets Friday night’s weekend series opener against Minnesota.
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