Orioles

Baltimore did once again fall victim to some sloppy defense. Cedric Mullins recorded his first fielding error of the season in the fourth, when he booted a single in center field to allow first baseman Josh Naylor to advance to second. Eflin limited the damage to a sacrifice fly, but mishaps in the outfield have become a trend for the Orioles after Heston Kjerstad, Jorge Mateo and Tyler O’Neill all misplayed flyballs over the weekend.

However, Monday’s contest was otherwise a reflection of the brighter side of the Orioles’ Jekyll-and-Hyde start to the season.

Instant analysis: Coming off an uneven first series back off the injured list in Kansas City, Henderson on Monday looked much more like the player who finished fourth in American League Most Valuable Player Award voting last season.

Henderson had a weird weekend. He registered exit velocities over 100 mph on each of his first four batted balls but garnered only one hit among them before going 0-for-8 with six strikeouts to close out the series. It was only a matter of time before he got his timing down and, while one game doesn’t mean he’s all the way back, Henderson showed he’s still very much capable of impacting an offense just about any way a hitter can.

Need power? Henderson barreled up two more 100-plus mph batted balls Monday, only these dropped in for a double and a single. Need speed? He swiped his first two stolen bases of the season. Need to keep a rally going? He drew a walk and scored twice. As Henderson goes, so does the Orioles’ offense.

On deck: Charlie Morton showed more than a few flashes of excellence his last time out when he recorded 10 strikeouts against the Boston Red Sox. He did, however, also allow five runs in as many innings for his second straight disappointing start to begin the year. Morton will look to find some stability Tuesday when he starts opposite the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly.

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at [e-mail], 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich and instagram.com/bymattweyrich.