PHILADELPHIA-What happened? Dean Kremer had one bad inning, and the Orioles’ inept offense couldn’t help him. The result was the Orioles’ fifth loss in their last six games, 5-0 to the Philadelphia Phillies before 43,660 at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night.
Kremer (8-8) had a rough second inning when he faced nine batters and allowed three runs on five hits, and left the bases loaded.
Max Kepler hit a two-run home run and Brandon Marsh an RBI double.
Philadelphia (65-48) scored in the fourth on Bryson Stott’s triple that scored Kepler.
Kremer allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings with a walk and six strikeouts.
“Just the one inning,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “I felt like he threw the ball pretty good outside the blowup inning right there. Left a couple pitches up in the zone they put good swings on and did some damage right there, and we just couldn’t quite get him out of that right there. He was on a roll outside of that. I like how he threw the ball. It’s just the one inning got him again.”
Marsh homered against Yaramil Hiraldo in the eighth.
The Orioles (51-63) had four hits against Philadelphia starter Taijuan Walker (4-5) in six innings and one hit against Max Lazar in the ninth. No runner got to second base until there were two outs in the ninth. They were shut out for the 12th time.
“Walker has been throwing the ball good, he shut us down,” Mansolino said. “Wasn’t our best night swinging the bats. He mixed, he changed speeds, different locations. He did a great job. You’ve got to kind of tip your cap to him. We’re going to be better than that.”
Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm pitched two perfect innings, and Lazar a scoreless ninth.
Tyler O’Neill, who’s been on the injured list twice, left the game in the sixth inning with right wrist discomfort.
What’s going on with O’Neill? It’s been a tough year for O’Neill, who’s been on the injured list twice, once each for a shoulder and neck injury.
O’Neill tried to catch Kepler’s home run and injured the wrist.
“Felt something happened when I jumped up on the wall on a play earlier in the game,” O’Neill said. “Taped it up and tried to get through it. Going into my second at-bat, I aggravated it on a swing … Not going to jump to conclusions. X-rays came back negative, so hopefully see some progression in the next 24 hours, go from there.”
How did Kremer throw? While the third inning was disappointing, he pitched well after that.
“I’d say two or three years ago, an outing like that, I’m probably out in the second, maybe the third, cause I let things get to me,” Kremer said. “It’s been a lot more different of late, being able to go out there for the fifth and the sixth and kind of getting through it and eating as many innings as possible.
“I watched [Kyle Gibson] do it all year that year, in ’23, and I was in awe of it every time, just cause it’s a very mature thing to be able to kind of continue to roll when things may not have been going your way.”
Catcher Adley Rutschman thought Kremer did well.
“He’s a mature pitcher. I think just for him he always wants to go back out there and compete.,” Rutschman said. “He’s at 100 pitches and he still wants to keep going. For him, it’s just one of those things, even if he gives up a couple runs, he knows he can still go out there and pitch himself a great game and give us a shot. I thought he did a great job tonight and gave us six quality innings.”
What are Rutschman’s goals for the rest of the season? Rutschman has never been with a non-contending Orioles team.
“Obviously, not where we want to be,” he said. “I think we definitely have higher expectations for where we’d be at this time at the beginning of the year. It’s tough to not have some of the teammates that we had. Just such quality guys and such good clubhouse guys and great guys to have on the field. Loved having time with them here every day. It’s tough not having them around.”
There are still 48 games to play.
“The mentality for us doesn’t change,” he said. “I think, if anything, just the fact of where we’re at right now should motivate guys more than ever to go out there and play as hard as they can. I think we show up every day still trying to win. That’s our mentality. We’ve got a lot of competitive guys in this locker room, and I don’t think that just goes away, and it won’t for us. I think that’s our job, and we’re going to go out and do it.”
What does it mean? The Orioles had just one at-bat with a runner in scoring position, the last one of the game, which resulted in a strikeout.
What’s the stat of the day? Colton Cowser has struck out 13 times in the last six games. He declined to speak with reporters after the game.
What’s the word? “Trying to eat as many innings as possible and try to compete and win as many games as you can. The season’s not over. You still have to do things for yourself. You still have to do stuff for the team.’-Kremer on his goals for the rest of the season.
What’s going on in the minor leagues? Tyler Wells allowed two hits in 2 1/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A Norfolk in a 12-1 win over Rochester. It was Wells’ second rehab start. He struck out four and walked two, throwing 49 pitches.
Ryan Mountcastle hit his third home run of his rehab assignment. Dylan Beavers homered twice. He has 18, and Samuel Basallo hit his 22nd. Basallo drove in four runs.
Vance Honeycutt returned to High-A Aberdeen’s lineup and went 1-for-3 in the IronBirds’ 3-1 loss to Wilmington. Enrique Bradfield Jr. was hitless in two at-bats in a rehab appearance.
What’s next? Trevor Rogers (4-2, 1.44) will face Ranger Suárez (8-4, 2.68) on Wednesday at 12:35 p.m.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com