For the second day in a row, Gunnar Henderson took to the plate and blasted the ball out to right field for a two-run homer to give his team the lead.

The shortstop has struggled to get going in the second half of the season. Before Wednesday, Henderson had just one home run since the All-Star break.

After hitting the ball to Eutaw Street against the Nationals on Wednesday, Henderson told reporters he felt was “starting to get going” again. His home run against the Red Sox proved it.

The Orioles looked like the offensive powerhouse they were in the first half of the season Thursday night against the Red Sox, winning 5-1 in the first of a four-game series.

While the offense was impressive, it was not what stuck out to manager Brandon Hyde.

“We’re going to score some runs, we’re going to hit homers, but pitching and defense is how we’re going to win games, and that’s what we did last year and for the first two months of this year. ... We’ve got back to that the last couple games,” he said.

The Orioles were able to pull ahead thanks to another strong start from trade-deadline acquisition Zach Eflin. He pitched six innings and had a season-high eight strikeouts while allowing one run. Eflin has won all four games he’s started since he joined the team July 27.

“Baseball never stops, so you got to come in ready to go,” Eflin said. “It’s a really fun team to be a part of, so that’s definitely helped a lot.”

The Red Sox struck first with a solo home run from Wilyer Abreu in the top of the fourth, but they couldn’t keep up with an Orioles team that was finally clicking again.

After three innings with little to no signs of offense from Baltimore, Henderson’s home run kicked the team into full gear. The Orioles scored one or more runs in four straight innings, with a majority of the team contributing a run or an RBI.

Cedric Mullins smashed the ball over the right field wall for a home run, his 13th of the season, in the fifth inning. Mullins also had the team’s first stolen base in over 10 days earlier in the game.

Anthony Santander kept the offense moving with a double deep into left field. Ryan Mountcastle pinch hit for Ryan O’Hearn and delivered a single to send Santander home and give Baltimore a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth, forcing the Red Sox to go back to the bullpen after just seven pitches from reliever Bailey Thorn.

Chase Shugart didn’t fare much better than his predecessor. He got his team out of the sixth inning but stumbled in the seventh, giving up a single to James McCann and an RBI double to Colton Cowser.

The Red Sox tried to revitalize their offense with three pinch hitters, but the fresh legs didn’t help them. The Orioles’ relievers picked up where Eflin left off and kept their opponent scoreless in the final three innings.