If not for a Gunnar Henderson fielding error, if not for second base umpire Nic Lentz ruling that Ernie Clement established a baseline near right field and Henderson didn’t put enough effort into his attempted tag, the Orioles might have followed a 7-3 homestand with a 4-2 road trip.

They’d be alone in third place. They’d be closer to the Wild Card. Fans wouldn’t be closer to the edge.

Perceptions and moods can spin 180 degrees in the blink of an eye.

A 4-0 lead dissolved into a 6-4 loss at Rogers Centre. The Orioles took their turn falling off a nice cushion.

Lentz spoke to a pool reporter afterward and said the following, per reports out of Toronto:

“The runner has a right to establish his basepath. And so, Clement had established his basepath to avoid the fielder from potential interference. And even though Henderson reached out for a tag, Clement’s basepath was already established out there going to 2nd base. So therefore, it was not out of the baseline.”

The teams can agree to disagree whether Clement veered before Henderson had the ball. And whether Henderson made a satisfactory attempt.

“I think when you stick your glove out to tag somebody, that’s an attempt to tag,” manager Craig Albernaz told the media. “There’s no rule about how far you have to extend your arm to tag somebody.”

Speaking at his locker, Henderson said, “I’m not gonna chase him into right field when I’m trying to turn a double play.”

The ruling cost Shane Baz, who couldn’t stop the proverbial bleeding and allowed five runs, only one earned.

“The only reason I’m not going to talk about that play,” he told the media, “is because I will get fined.”

The Orioles would like to leave the last traces of adversity in Canada, but they boarded their flight home with tonight’s starting pitcher listed as TBA. Chris Bassitt had his back examined in Baltimore before rejoining the team and his status is up in the air.

They also didn’t know whether they could get catcher Samuel Basallo through nine innings after Leody Taveras pinch-hit for him. The assumption is that Basallo will be able to play tonight.

Basallo grabbed his left wrist after applying a late tag to Andrés Giménez, who scored the go-ahead run in the sixth. He stayed in the game until Taveras batted for him in the eighth.

An athletic trainer checked on Basallo after the play at the plate, two days after Basallo exited the game with discomfort in his right abdomen. And after Basallo appeared to sustain an injury on May 30 while striking out in the ninth inning, releasing the bat and dropping to his knee. He felt a pinching sensation in his upper pectoral but stood on deck when Pete Alonso delivered a walk-off single.

Basallo already came out of a Feb, 26 exhibition game after making a lunging tag and feeling pain in his right side, which drew concerns about an oblique injury. Albernaz insisted that Basallo’s removal was purely precautionary. Basallo later described the discomfort as “cramping” and didn’t undergo any additional testing.

Albernaz confirmed to media yesterday that pinch-hitting for Basallo wasn’t based on the matchup. He also said, “Sammy is learning. He’s learning a lot how to play through being nicked up when everything is checked out and everything is fine. So Sammy is learning to play through some adversity right now.”

Meanwhile, I wrote yesterday about Brandon Young, Rico Garcia and Blaze Alexander being come-to-the-rescue guys for the Orioles. Here are two more:

Leody Taveras

The Orioles signed Taveras way back on Nov. 6 and they gave him $2 million.

That’s how they began the offseason beyond the in-house business. And that’s not how a fan base gets excited. But Taveras has proven to be one of the most valuable players on the club, and one of its busiest.

Taveras struck out yesterday as a pinch-hitter. His 55 games are tied for fifth most on the team.

So much for a fifth outfielder’s typical workload.

Necessity became a bonus for the Orioles. The switch-hitter batted .288/.397/.455 in 25 games in March/April and .263/.344/.350 in 25 games in May. He’s one of the better defenders on the team and he’s made 45 starts in center field because of his skill set and Dylan Beavers’ oblique injury.

Colton Cowser’s early struggles at the plate also created more opportunities for Taveras. Manager Craig Albernaz leaned more toward the hot hand. And Tyler O’Neill’s issues at the plate created more starts for Cowser in right field, which also freed up center for Taveras.

The Orioles are trying to heat up O’Neill’s bat but they don’t have to keep forcing him into the lineup.

Taveras’ best season came in 2023 when he batted .266/.312/.421 with 31 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, 67 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 143 games with the Rangers, who won the World Series. He went on a steady decline, the Mariners claimed him on waivers in May 2025, and the Orioles ended up with an unexpected bargain.

Taveras also is a catalyst of the occasional small ball approach, with his six sacrifice bunts leading the American League yesterday. He also has four bunt hits.

Jeremiah Jackson

I have a tendency to link Taveras and Jackson as if they’re one entity. I even got them confused for a brief moment yesterday when recounting the line drive that nailed Albernaz on the right side of his face during an April 13 game at Camden Yards.

That was Jackson.

Jackson’s also the guy who demonstrated his value while Holliday was on the injured list. He went from making no starts at second base last season to 42 this year. His dWAR improved from minus-0-3 to plus-0.6.

Jackson was an important contributor in March/April with his .270 average, six home runs, 24 RBIs and .768 OPS in 29 games. The cooling was considerable last month with a .209 average, no homers, two RBIs and a .497 OPS in 23 games, but the club needed him most at the onset.

A job wasn’t waiting for Jackson in camp. He had to win it, which he did with a hot finish. His contributions last summer after coming up in August also might have given him an edge.