Tomoyuki Sugano, 3 homers lift Orioles over Guardians, 6-2

Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun on Apr 17, 2025

Published in Baseball

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BALTIMORE — Brandon Hyde practically spoke it into existence.

Hours before the Orioles downed the Cleveland Guardians, 6-2, in what marked Baltimore’s long-awaited first series win, the manager explained his reasoning for pushing Cedric Mullins to the top of the lineup card, sliding Gunnar Henderson back into the No. 2 hole for the first time since Sept. 14, 2023.

“I want to slow the game down for Gunn a little bit,” Hyde said. “Talking with him, let him watch an at-bat before he gets up. He’s a little bit rushed right now.”

Mullins took a few worthy hacks in the first inning but struck out swinging. Henderson watched from the batter’s circle. Then, true to Hyde’s intuition, the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year and All-Star shortstop drilled a fastball in the bottom half of the plate 393 feet over the new left-field wall for his first home run of the season — a sweet escape from a wretched start.

Entering Thursday, Henderson had struck out 16 times. He had only one walk and nine hits, slashing an uncharacteristic .233/.310/.543 through 10 games. Nine of those had him slotted in the leadoff spot. It became clear that Henderson was one of a few players Hyde has recently referenced as being a little too in their own head.

So he put the onus on Mullins, who has been playing with his hair on fire lately, to take the lead. Mullins is slashing .455/.635/1.090 with four homers and only 11 strikeouts over 16 games. Hyde had been thinking about flipping the order for some time. He pulled the trigger Thursday. It immediately alleviated the leadoff pressure from Henderson’s shoulders.

Hyde, who has been under fire from a portion of the fan base for his lineup construction, nailed this move.

The next time around the order, Henderson whacked a sinker down the left-field line for a double — his second hit of the night. Adley Rutschman followed with a six-pitch walk. Then, because hitting is contagious and Henderson has historically been the root of all offense in Baltimore, Ryan O’Hearn ripped a three-run, go-ahead homer, his second in as many days, giving the Orioles a 4-2 lead.

In Henderson’s nascent four-year career, he’s hitting .316 in games the Orioles go on to win and .195 in eventual losses. Correlation does not equal causation. But Henderson’s offensive production has the ability to jump-start this car fueled by irrational confidence.

He homered. O’Hearn homered. And Heston Kjerstad piled on with a two-run shot in the sixth, enough for a much-needed second straight win.

All it took was a relaxed Henderson.

Instant analysis

Tomoyuki Sugano’s start Thursday night was the first time the Orioles got a glimpse of what they signed up for. General manager Mike Elias dipped into the international market for the Japanese right-hander on a one-year deal worth $13 million. His first three starts left a lot to be desired. In Thursday’s win, Sugano became the first Orioles starter to pitch into the seventh inning this season.

He finished seven full with three strikeouts, allowing two solo homers — an outing worthy of a Camden Yards standing ovation. What made this performance more impressive is that Sugano normally pitched once per week in Japan as part of a six-man rotation. This start came off only four days’ rest.

The battered pitching rotation is Baltimore’s worst kept secret. Grayson Rodriguez had another setback in his road back to the mound. The Orioles are still eager for Zach Eflin, Kyle Bradish, and Tyler Wells to all return at different points this season. They’re going to need to tread water for now. Sugano’s start shows it’s not impossible.

On deck

The Orioles won their first series, recorded back-to-back wins and scored five-plus runs on consecutive nights for the first time this season. They’ll wrap up this lengthy homestand with a weekend set hosting Cincinnati.

Cade Povich is on the bump Friday, and while Saturday is still to be determined, all signs point toward 26-year-old righty Brandon Young making his MLB debut. Charlie Morton is scheduled for Sunday.

This weekend will also mark Austin Hays’ first time back at Camden Yards since the Orioles dealt their homegrown outfielder away at the 2024 trade deadline.