Gunnar Henderson didn’t wait for the popup to land. Twins catcher Victor Caratini camped under it in foul territory with two outs in the third inning and Henderson already was walking back to the dugout and down the steps.

The first series of the 2026 season began with such promise. An electric Opening Day, capped by a one-run victory. The new scoreboard, the lovefest for Pete Alonso. But the Orioles struck out 16 times yesterday in a 4-1 loss and trailed 4-0 today in the fourth. The frustration was building again.

If you’re a big vibes guy like manager Craig Albernaz, it wasn’t a good time. But they can change. A couple rallies, a couple clutch hits. Lots of resiliency.

Albernaz wouldn’t expect anything less from the boys.

Alonso broke a 5-5 tie with a run-scoring single off Mick Abel in the seventh inning, his first multi-hit game with the Orioles, pinch-hitter Adley Rutschman followed with an RBI double, and the Orioles held on for an 8-6 victory over the Twins before an announced crowd of 18,071 at Camden Yards.

Coby Mayo lined a bases-loaded single to left field at 100.4 mph for an 8-5 lead, but Tyler Wells loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth on a couple walks sandwiched around a hit, and Tristan Gray shattered his bat on an RBI single to center field with one out.

That was it for the Twins. Wells struck out Kody Clemens and Yennier Cano fanned Byron Buxton with the count full, and closer Ryan Helsley stranded runners on the corners for his second save.

Josh Bell thought he walked with one out, Helsley challenged and got the strikeout, and Twins manager Derek Shelton was ejected for arguing that the reliever waited too long. Henderson committed a fielding error to extend the inning and the drama, but Helsley escaped with a routine fly ball to left.

Helsley appeared to tap the top of his head, reach for the bill and tap again. Shelton didn’t think the request was done in the required amount of time.

“That’s what my read was,” Albernaz said. “I would assume so, yeah.”

Tyler O’Neill hit a three-run homer off Bailey Ober in the bottom of the fourth, the first longball for the Orioles in 2026. Dylan Beavers brushed off a defensive mishap earlier in the game and lined a go-ahead, two-run double down the right field line in the sixth. Royce Lewis homered on Yaramil Hiraldo’s first pitch in the seventh to tie the game, but the Orioles had an immediate answer.

Rico Garcia got a called third strike on Matt Wallner to end the top of the seventh after Hiraldo walked the bases loaded with two outs. He set up the rally.

There wasn’t anything pretty about this one, including two Orioles thrown out trying to steal in the eighth, but it counted as a win.

The top third of the Orioles lineup was 1-for-23 with three walks and 11 strikeouts before today, with Alonso providing the only hit. Taylor Ward, Henderson and Alonso combined today to go 4-for-11 with three walks and two strikeouts. Ward also made a lunging catch of Wallner’s liner in the ninth.

Alonso’s go-ahead single came with the count full, after he challenged a strike and got a reversal. He reached for a slider so far outside that it crossed the other batter’s box, and the Orioles led.

“So the 2-1 and 3-1 pitch, he was trying to establish that outer lane,” Alonso said. “I didn’t think he wanted to come in right there, because I had a really good swing on the sinker early in that at-bat, just missed, fouled off. Honestly, I was like, ‘OK, he’s trying to establish the outer lane here. I really need to hold my direction and really protect the outer part of the plate.’ And I was just happy to get enough on it to flick one over for a single.”
The teams combined for 10 ABS challenges and Alonso had one of the bigger ones.

“I’m really fortunate that we have it,” he said. “I’m sure for everybody, we just want to get it for what it is, get the call for what it is or get the pitch result for whatever it is. I think it’s good for the game. And I think people in the crowd are obviously into it. It’s fun, you know? It’s a different type of baseball. It could be advantageous, but also, if you’re wrong, it could go against you. Just happy I was able to convert the challenge right there to get back in an offensive count.”

Shane Baz went 5 1/3 innings in his Orioles debut, a few days after signing his five-year, $68 million extension, and allowed all four runs in the second. He gave up seven hits, walked none, struck out four and hit a batter.

“He wasn’t using his curveball much early, and then he got back to using his curveball,” Albernaz said. “It was kind of like an equalizer or him to kind of settle in and he was really relying on his cutter early, and then once he settled in, he got the curveball going, started getting the cutters into lefties, started mixing a couple of changeups, and then it kind of elevates his fastball quality.”

Albernaz brought in left-hander Grant Wolfram after Baz threw his 78th pitch to record the first out in the sixth inning.

“I think it was just one of those days, you know, the fastball command wasn’t good at all really start to finish,” Baz said. “It definitely got better as the game went on. It was just that one ugly stretch of my bats, where I’m falling behind or maybe getting ahead and then maybe pitches catching a little too much plate and stuff like that. I was just happy that I attacked the whole day.”
And happy to pitch at Camden Yards in an Orioles uniform.

“Oh, it was awesome,” he said. “The weather was perfect. It was great. I was really excited for the game. I bounced out of bed. It was awesome. The fans were great. Just the way we fought through that game was really good to see.”

Baz said the contract didn’t add any pressure.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “If anything, it probably took some of the pressure off, I would say. Just being able to forget about it and go play. Now, it’s all about baseball which I love. That’s kind of what I think every player wants and hopes for. It’s all about winning. I think that’s where I can thrive and just brings the best out of me.”

Alonso singled to lead off the fourth, Samuel Basallo singled with one out and O’Neill clobbered a 3-1 sinker, sending it 391 feet down the left field line at 109 mph.

“It was just a matter of time,” O’Neill said. “Our lineup is so deep, a lot of trust in ourselves. It was just a matter of time before (we) put a big swing in the board and got some runs across. Thankfully I got it going today.”

O’Neill drew a two-out walk against Abel in the sixth after falling behind 0-2 and reached third base on Mayo’s bloop double to left. Beavers fouled off fastballs at 96.9 and 96.8 mph and pulled a changeup down the line.

“That was awesome,” Albernaz said of O’Neill battling back from 0-2. “Obviously, the three-run shot was huge, but yeah, his at-bat quality even going back to spring training has been great. And same thing with all our guys. I know I said yesterday, we punched out 16 times, but the at-bat quality was there. They’re seeing pitches, just missing them. Today, same thing. And this time the balls fell for us. And I think that’s where we just stick with our process, stick to owning the strike zone, not trying to chase, get pitches in the strike zone, do damage. That’s kind of where our bread and butter is.”

Said O’Neill: “Just trying to do what I can in the moment, get on base. That at-bat worked into a walk, so that’s great.”

Lewis homered on a slider, the same pitch that Hiraldo threw three times to strike out his only batter yesterday. Garcia struck out Wallner with the count full to strand three and keep the score tied.

The Twins loaded the bases with no outs in the second on a single, hit-by-pitch and single. Trevor Larnach beat out a chopper to the right side, Lewis struck out on a cutter, and Gray drove a 98.2 mph fastball 107.3 mph to deep right-center field, where O’Neill attempted a diving catch. The ball rolled to the track and three runs scored.

Gray raced to third base as Larnach rounded it and slammed on the brakes. Mayo took the throw from Jeremiah Jackson and tagged Gray before trying for the out at the plate. Larnach slid in ahead of Basallo’s tag.

Gray was credited with two RBIs on the play. Irritated fans didn’t care about the math except for the score.

Mayo was able to get the double play in the fourth after Beavers, in his first major league start in center field, lost Bell’s fly ball in the sun and let it fall for a double – covering his head with both arms to protect himself. Caratini grounded to Mayo, who reached for Bell and fired to first base. Bell was called out for running out of the baseline, and Mayo’s throw nabbed Caratini.

Larnach lined a double to left field and was stranded.

Baz ran his pitch count to 35 through the second inning, threw 16 in the third while retiring the side in order – striking out Wallner on a knuckle-curve – and needed 16 more to get through the fourth.

Buxton had a bloop double down the right field line with two outs in the fifth, but he came off the bag and Henderson tagged him. O’Neill ran down the ball and made an off-balance throw as he approached the railing in foul territory. Turned out to be a heads-up hustle play.

Baz had some tough luck but also caught a couple breaks.

*Ryan Mountcastle’s franchise-record hitting streak against the Twins ended at 18 games.

I blame myself for telling him about it this morning. He didn’t know and laughed at such a random milestone.

*The Orioles swung a trade right before first pitch, acquiring left-hander Jayvien Sandridge from the Angels for cash considerations. They optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk.

Sandridge, 27, is a Hagerstown native drafted by the Orioles in the 32nd round in 2018 out of Mercerburg Academy in Pennsylvania. He was released two years later and the Reds signed him as a free agent in June 2021, the Padres in November 2023 and the Yankees in February 2025.

The Angels purchased his contract on Jan. 29 and designated him for assignment last week.

Spring training didn’t go well for Sandridge, who made two appearances and allowed five runs and five hits in two innings.

Sandridge made his major league debut on July 5 against the Mets at Citi Field and allowed two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Alonso hit a three-run homer, with two of the runs charged to Sandridge.

That was Sandridge’s only major league appearance.

Sandridge has posted a 3.99 ERA in 190 minor league games. He’s averaged 7.0 walks and 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

*Maverick Handley, serving as Norfolk’s designated hitter, was removed from today’s game after being hit by a pitch on the left ankle.

Nashville’s Tate Kuehner drilled Handley with a 92.9 mph sinker in the second inning and Ryan Noda pinch-hit for him in the fifth.

Jackson Holliday was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Levi Wells allowed one run and two hits and struck out six batters in four innings.

*Another trade was announced after the game, with the Orioles acquiring outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez from the Guardians for right-hander Carter Rustad and optioning him to Norfolk. The 40-man roster is full.

Rodríguez, 26, has hit .176 with a .586 OPS in 44 games over the last two seasons. He’s a career .285/.362/.491 hitter with 114 home runs in 674 minor league games.

Rustad was a 15th-round draft pick in 2024 out of Missouri who pitched at three levels last year, reaching Double-A Chesapeake.