Ryan Ripken believes the Baltimore Orioles' recent stretch of dropped series comes down to a few empty, high-leverage moments each game, and the mounting internal pressure on young star Gunnar Henderson.
Appearing on The Big Bad Morning Show, Ripken discussed the high expectations weighing heavily on Henderson, who recently admitted to fans and media that he is struggling to see results despite putting in relentless hours behind the scenes.
"Put it bluntly, it just sucks," Ripken said of Henderson's current slump. "There is no doubt at all that Gunnar is probably doing more work than anybody right now. But the hardest thing is you don’t get credit for how much work you do; you get credit for what you do on the field."
Ripken compared Henderson’s current situation to Manny Machado’s early years in Baltimore, noting that Machado was surrounded by proven veterans like J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, and Chris Davis, who shielded him from carrying the franchise alone. Henderson, conversely, has been labeled "the guy" from the moment he arrived.
With Pete Alonso leading the club in RBIs and Adley Rutschman missing time, the Orioles desperately need Henderson to break through. He sits at 39 RBIs on the season, a number the team needs to see rise if they want to escape their current rut.
"Somehow, some way, if he can take a moment to realize, 'You got this,' we just need even 80% of what he can do offensively and we’re going to be good," Ripken said. "But for the Orioles, they need their guy, and hopefully, we get that soon because this is a really crucial stretch right now."
