CHICAGO — There’s running wild, and then there’s what the Orioles did against the White Sox on Wednesday afternoon.
Baltimore (72-80) tied a team record with seven stolen bases in its 3-1 win over Chicago, coming out with an aggressive game plan and executing it without being caught to earn a sweep and 3-3 split in their penultimate road trip of the season.
“Credit to the players for being fearless and aggressive,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Also it’s a good time to recognize Anthony Sanders. He does such a wonderful job with our base runners. Everything he does out there, sometimes we don’t notice him because he’s a first base coach. But he’s got a lot going on with those seven stolen bases right there and it was a great day for both the players and Coach Sanders.”
The Orioles tied a record that had stood since Aug. 28, 1986, when Baltimore swiped seven bases in a loss to the Oakland Athletics. Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken Jr., Larry Sheets and Juan Beníquez each stole two and Lee Lacy tacked on another steal in that contest.
Gunnar Henderson led the way with three steals, setting a career high, followed by Tyler O’Neill (two), Dylan Beavers (one) and Jorge Mateo (one). Henderson and O’Neill pulled off a double steal in the first inning against the White Sox battery of Martín Pérez and Edgar Quero, leading to an early run as Jeremiah Jackson scored Henderson with an infield single.
But the Orioles didn’t stop there, especially after Pérez left the game in the fourth with shoulder discomfort and slow-tempo reliever Steven Wilson took over. Henderson swiped second and third base against him during a single at-bat in the fifth and O’Neill, who entered the game with just two steals on the year, followed with his second steal later in the frame.
Beavers delivered the decisive blow with the lumber, launching his second home run in as many games on a two-run blast to right-center field off Pérez in the fourth. The rookie outfielder reached base twice and stole the record-tying bag off reliever Grant Taylor in the seventh when he took second base on a slider outside.
“I just think Sanders does a really nice job of watching video and getting tips from their pitchers and knowing what to hone in on going into the game, depending on whether it’s a starter or reliever,” Beavers said. “We have a ton of good resources that give you a better clue of where to look and how to get the best jump you can. I think today it just kind of all came together and we were aggressive.”
Tyler Wells earned the win in his third start since returning from 2024 elbow surgery, allowing one run over six efficient frames as he needed just 89 pitches to complete the outing. Wells did allow a home run to designated hitter Mike Tauchman in the fourth and has given up a homer in each of his starts so far, but the right-hander boasts an impressive 2.04 ERA.
“Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better return so far,” Wells said. “Really just trying to kind of focus on staying within myself, controlling the game. I know I can go out there and I can control the ball and, yeah, it’s showing and I think that that’s kind of the biggest takeaway so far of everything.”
Yaramil Hiraldo and Rico García both faced the minimum to bridge the late innings to Keegan Akin, who closed out the Orioles’ second straight win by working around a leadoff single in the ninth by second baseman Chase Meidroth. Akin pushed his save total to seven on the season and 10 for his career.
Postgame analysis
Henderson’s power numbers have been down this season, and they’re the biggest reason that he’s only produced half the Wins Above Placement total that he posted in 2024. But the 24-year-old has still managed to improve other key areas of his game that have made him more of a complete player.
His three-steal effort Wednesday pushed his total on the year to 26, already a career high. After leading all shortstops with 25 errors last season, he’s cut that total to eight with just one in his past 83 games. Henderson has been more aggressive at the plate and that’s produced a career-high chase rate, but he’s still managed to make contact right around his career average.
The Orioles will look for Henderson to rebound in the power department next year and his ability to get the barrel to the ball more often will be a critical area that he’ll need to improve on. Should he get there, Henderson could very well have an even higher ceiling than he displayed in 2024 after showing he has another gear both in the field and on the base paths.
What they’re saying
Mansolino on Henderson becoming a better all-around player this season:
“He’s one of the most complete players in the big leagues for me in a lot of ways. The power numbers and the home runs and the whole thing will come back next year. He’ll figure out the reason why he’s not hitting home runs and doubles the way he has in the past and he’ll get that solved this winter, and he’ll come back with a vengeance in ’26.
“He will do the whole thing. He’ll hit the ball over the fence. He’ll hit the ball in the gaps, and the defense, the base running, the at-bats all stay the same, and he will be quite possibly the best player in baseball once it all comes back.”
By the numbers
Wells and Kyle Bradish, who also returned from elbow surgery last month, have combined for a 2.27 ERA in seven outings — four of which have qualified as quality starts despite both of them being on pitch limits in the mid-80s. Their returns have coincided with a turn for the better for the entire Orioles’ rotation, which ranks second in the majors with a 2.75 ERA so far in September.
On deck
Baltimore will take its three-game winning streak back to Camden Yards where the New York Yankees will meet the club for a four-game series. The Orioles announced their starters for the series as Cade Povich, Trevor Rogers, Tomoyuki Sugano and Bradish while the Yankees plan to counter with Max Fried, Will Warren, Carlos Rodón and Cam Schlitter, respectively.
Around the horn
• Right-hander Albert Suárez is getting a second opinion on his injured elbow after undergoing an MRI, Mansolino said Tuesday. Suárez landed on the injured list earlier this week after experiencing forearm tightness in his outing Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Mansolino expects the club to have an update on Suárez’s status next week.
• The Atlanta Braves claimed right-hander Carson Ragsdale off waivers from the Orioles on Wednesday after he was designated for assignment Monday. Ragsdale, who allowed eight runs in his MLB debut Sunday, was let go to make room for left-hander José Castillo.
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