Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson power Orioles in 11-3 thumping of Twins

Jordan Westburg always brushed off any concern about his power, because he knew, at some point, it would all arrive at once. He wouldn’t overcompensate in one way or another, swinging harder or with more launch angle in mind.

In the minors, for instance, Westburg was a force. He clubbed 18 homers in 67 games for Triple-A Norfolk last season, and his power was a constant in 2022. That year, Westburg was one of only six hitters in the minors with at least 25 homers and 35 doubles.

For as well as Westburg transitioned last year to the majors in other aspects, with a .260 average and solid defense, his first foray to the highest level didn’t include a power barrage. In 68 games, Westburg knocked three home runs.

In 16 games this year, Westburg already has four.

His latest came with a crack in the fourth inning, when Westburg swung at a first-pitch slider and launched the ball over the imposing left-field wall at Camden Yards for the first time in his career. It came in the Orioles’ high-flying 11-3 victory against the Minnesota Twins, in which Baltimore jumped all over right-hander Chris Paddack to secure a series win ahead of Wednesday’s finale.

Westburg scampered out of the box, and once the knock eclipsed the high fence, he slowed to a jog. He chugged from the newly minted homer hydration station along with Cedric Mullins, who was on base for the homer. And with it, Westburg continued his torrent pace at the plate this homestand.

In five games here, Westburg recorded 10 hits with two doubles, two homers and six runs batted in. His season average is up to .316 with a .995 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Given an everyday opportunity with the Orioles, Westburg is proving he can produce.

“I trusted my ability, and I trusted the work I was putting in,” Westburg said when asked why he was so sure his power would shine through eventually. He focused this offseason on simplifying his movements at the plate and cleaning up his stance. “And I think just being more comfortable up here helps, too.”

He wasn’t alone, of course. The rest of Baltimore’s lineup erupted to tag Paddack for 12 hits and nine runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Orioles hit 11 balls that left their bats at 100 mph or faster, with eight of those landing for hits.

It began with James McCann’s RBI double in the second and continued with Gunnar Henderson’s two-run shot to right field in the second inning.

The spigot turned on full blast with that four-run third inning. Beside Westburg’s homer, Henderson drove in another run with a single and Colton Cowser grounded out to plate another run. Cowser and Anthony Santander drove in runs later in the game, and to punctuate the effort, Ryan O’Hearn added a two-run shot in the eighth — notching homers on three consecutive days for the first time in his career.

“O’Hearn mentioned the other day in the clubhouse, our best baseball is when we play fast and hard early, and I feel like that’s what the offense is doing right now,” Westburg said. “It’s more fun when you can kind of punch somebody in the mouth early, get that separation.”

And in the eighth, catcher David Bañuelos made his major league debut. He’s a taxi squad catcher who was activated late today once right-hander Tyler Wells hit the injured list. He may well get optioned tomorrow to make room for a pitcher. But for at least one night, the 27-year-old was a big leaguer.

Manager Brandon Hyde began thinking of ways to get Bañuelos into the game in the sixth and seventh innings, but it wasn’t until O’Hearn’s homer that Hyde knew the time had come.

“It means the world, man,” Bañuelos said. “It’s something that you dream of as a kid. It was awesome. It was a great moment. I’m grateful for it, the opportunity. Shoutout to the boys, putting some damage up early and allowing me to get a pinch-hit there toward the end of the game.”

Every batter in the Orioles’ starting lineup recorded a hit except for top prospect Jackson Holliday, who is still adjusting to life in the majors. After recording his first hit Sunday, Holliday is still waiting for a second. He worked his first walk Tuesday but also struck out two more times, bringing his total to 12 in six games.

There was still ample offensive support for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez.

“One through nine, no matter what the lineup looks like, there’s a bunch of killers in this lineup,” Westburg said. “Like, these guys are competitive, mentally tough, don’t give away at-bats. So it doesn’t surprise me when guys go on hot streaks.”

Rodriguez wasn’t his sharpest, walking three Twins batters, but he gave up just two runs in six innings. The 24-year-old struck out six, inducing most of his whiffs via the change-up.

Rodriguez also flashed his new, harder slider, which MLB’s advanced metric system, Statcast, picks up as a cutter. He used the offering — it came in at 86.1 mph with 7.5 inches of horizontal sweep — to strike out Willi Castro.

“Fastball command wasn’t really there,” Rodriguez said. “Thought that could’ve been a lot better. But being able to pitch with the offspeed was a big step forward, being able to land stuff for strikes. Also, putting guys away with sliders in the dirt.”

But it was Westburg and his bat that stood out Tuesday, carrying forward a strong start to his first full season in the majors. He already has more homers than he did last year in 52 fewer games. And there’s no slowdown in sight.

Andy Kostka

andy.kostka@thebaltimorebanner.com

Andy Kostka is an Orioles beat writer for The Baltimore Banner. He previously covered the Orioles for The Baltimore Sun. Kostka graduated from the University of Maryland and grew up in Rockville.

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