Dean Kremer did not allow a base runner until the fifth inning, and Baltimore capped the sweep with an 11-1 victory.
Recently, Baltimore’s starters are pitching like they don’t want to leave the rotation. Cole Irvin extended his scoreless inning streak to 20.2 on Friday. John Means followed with a seven-inning statement during his first appearance of the year. Today, Dean Kremer took his turn.
Kremer took the mound in Cincinnati and did not allow a base runner until the fifth inning. He continued a dominant stretch of pitching by tossing six scoreless frames, and the Orioles capped a series sweep with an 11-1 victory at Great American Ballpark.
The Orioles provided Kremer with an early lead after two quick outs in the first. Ryan Mountcastle bounced a double high off the left field wall, and Anthony Santander drove in the first run of the game with a base hit up the middle. Jordan Westburg, batting fifth against Reds’ starter Nick Lodolo, followed with an opposite field homer that carried over the right-field fence.
The two-out lightening immediately provided Kremer a cushion. He delivered a shutdown first and quickly settled into a groove. Cincinnati hitters struggled for the third consecutive game, and Kremer kept Reds’ hitters off balance while living in the mid-90s.
Baltimore’s offense made sure the high-leverage relievers received a welcomed day of rest. Adley Rutschman extended the lead to four with a two-out double in the fifth. The extra-base hit marked a season-high four runs allowed for Lodolo.
Kremer finally allowed a single to Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Jonathan India followed with a one-out walk. Both runners advanced on a deep fly out to center, but Kremer had the answer during his only test of the day. Kremer generated a harmless pop out in foul territory from Santiago Espinal, and the Reds left the inning empty handed.
Kremer had struggled against hitters during their third trip through the order, but he kept Brandon Hyde in the dugout today. The 28-year-old used high fastballs to strikeout Luke Maile and Will Benson with full counts in the sixth. Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz hoped to finally get something going, but Kremer sent him down looking with a pitch on the inside corner.
Albert Suárez did leave the rotation after John Means and Kyle Bradish returned this week, but he pitched like a guy looking to stay on the roster. Suárez tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless ball during his first relief appearance with the Birds.
With Suárez picking up where Kremer left off, the Orioles’ lineup elected to put things out of reach. Ryan McKenna snuck a ball over the left field fence to make it 5-0 in just his eighth at bat of the season.
Ramón Urías doubled, and Rutschman made it 6-0 with two-out single to left. The Orioles scored five of their first six runs with two outs, and Baltimore continued to look comfortable against the Reds bullpen.
Baltimore kept its foot on the gas and poured on five more runs in the ninth. Colton Cowser drove in McKenna with an opposite field double, and Santander provided the exclamation point with a grand slam from the left side of the plate.
The Reds finally got on the board after Mike Baumann entered an 11-0 game and elected to walk the first two batters he faced. Baumann eventually recovered to end the game, and the Orioles left with plenty of momentum to carry into next week.
Kremer spoke after the game about following suit from the other starters and pitching to his strengths. He mentioned having a weapon for every type of hitter, and pointed out the importance of learning during a start as opposed to waiting until after the outing to improve.
“I think we have the potential to be the best team in the big leagues,” Kremer said. The righty quickly credited the offense before mentioning the pitching staff putting together good performances.
The bats demonstrated a complete performance with eight of nine position players recording a hit. Santander broke out of a slump with a massive 3-for-4 effort, and both McKenna and Urías reached base multiple times. Urías finished 2-for-3 with a HBP and three runs scored.
The high run total excused three instances of base runners getting picked off at first base. Jorge Mateo finished 0-4 with three strikeouts, but his teammates did plenty at the plate.
The Orioles get the day off tomorrow before traveling to Washington on Tuesday. The Orioles have the best record in the American League at 23-11. Baltimore could end the day with the best record in baseball if the Giants manage to beat the Phillies tonight.