It’s hard to tell from a Gunnar Henderson bat flip whether there was extra emotion at an outcome, because even his walks generate mighty tosses of the bat toward his dugout. His words pregame, though, might divulge some of what Henderson felt as the ball soared off his bat in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader.

The Orioles’ issues with runners in scoring position aren’t lost on any of the batters in that lineup. And, as those struggles mount (they entered Wednesday with a league-worst .189 average), they can weigh on players in key moments.

“I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times I really tried harder in situations, because, obviously, we haven’t done great in those situations,” Henderson said before Wednesday’s doubleheader. “So I’m like, ‘Well, I really want to get it done here.’ That’s gotten me out of my approach. So I think that’s trickling down to a lot of guys. You want to be the guy who gets it done.”

Henderson got it done on this particular occasion, in the third inning of Wednesday’s matinee. Right-hander Bailey Ober left a low-and-inside curveball too close to the strike zone, and Henderson unleashed on it for a two-out, two-run homer with a runner in scoring position.

He watched it fly toward the flag court and bounce onto Eutaw Street and then swung his bat again — this time out of his hands, with authority.

On a list of the Orioles’ concerns, Henderson is near the bottom. His overall numbers — .275 average, .813 on-base-plus-slugging percentage — don’t set the world on fire, but they place him near the top of all Baltimore batters.

There have been troubling trends, however. For one, his production with runners in scoring position. For another, his output against left-handed pitching. And, perhaps most strikingly, his two-strike hitting. On Wednesday, he showed signs of reversing all three.

Sample size plays a large role in either category. Given Henderson’s results last year in similar situations, positive regression is expected. But, with a .167 average and .434 OPS against southpaws entering Wednesday, it was worth a question as to what has differed for Henderson against righties and lefties.

“Well, I feel like I’ve taken good swings, so I guess it’s not great to hear you think that,” Henderson said. “So oh well.”

Henderson doesn’t feel as though there is a problem, and his ability to work a walk against stout left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe in the fifth inning reinforces his belief that his poor raw numbers are more sample size-related than irreparable marks. His bat flip on the walk rivaled that of the homer a few innings before.

That was, of course, an uncommon occurrence to that point. Before facing Coulombe on Wednesday, Henderson had walked once, struck out 14 times and recorded eight hits in 49 plate appearances against southpaws. His expected results, per Statcast, aren’t much prettier. Henderson entered Wednesday with an expected .494 OPS against lefties.

That’s far below his 2024 production — an .829 OPS in 217 plate appearances.

“I think you have to remember Gunnar is 23 years old,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “That’s the first thing. He’s 23. That’s a fifth-year senior in college. There’s probably guys at Towson State who are the same age as Gunnar. And, when you’re facing the best left-handed back-end reliever every single night, it’s challenging. He’s going to be just fine.”

That is part of this. Henderson often faces the opponent’s preferred left-handed reliever. After multiple at-bats against a righty starter, one plate appearance against a southpaw is a difficult midgame adjustment.

Henderson is producing slightly better against left-handed starters this year, in part because he sees them for more than one at-bat. He has five hits against lefty starters in 28 at-bats (.179), including one double and a homer. In 20 at-bats against southpaw relievers, Henderson has three hits (.150), all singles.

“I’ve felt like I’ve had good swings,” Henderson said. “It’s just been a lot of at-bats against relievers, and those starters we have faced have been top-of-the-league starters. So it’s just how it goes sometimes. It’s early in the season.”

Even more encouraging: Henderson’s four hits Wednesday — a single and that homer in Game 1 and a pair of singles in Game 2 — all came with two strikes. In 2024, Henderson was one of baseball’s better two-strike hitters, but he entered Wednesday with just six two-strike hits in 69 at-bats this year.

The safe assumption is this all will even out for Henderson, and his destruction of right-handed pitching has carried him through regardless.

For him to be considered an MVP candidate once again, though, the positive regression expected from Henderson needs to come sooner rather than later. The Orioles, who are searching for more consistent offense overall, could use it too.

“Obviously, my swing, a lot of games, hasn’t felt great,” Henderson said. “But you’ve got to go out there and compete. It still hasn’t felt like it’s gotten back to where it normally is, but I go out there and compete my butt off each and every day, and I feel like I’m putting up pretty decent numbers for not feeling that great so far.”

And, if this patch of games morphs into an extended hot streak, Henderson’s numbers might not be the only ones that rise. Baltimore’s teamwide offensive inconsistencies could improve with Henderson carrying the way.