Dean Kremer struck out eight over five scoreless innings and Ryan O’Hearn drove in three of Baltimore’s four runs.
Dean Kremer missed over a month with a triceps injury, but the righty did not show any rust in his return. Kremer tossed five scoreless innings, and Ryan O’Hearn drove in three of Baltimore’s four runs as the Orioles took the series in Seattle with a 4-1 victory.
Kremer delivered everything the Orioles could reasonably ask for tonight. Making his first start since May 20, the 28-year old limited Seattle to only two hits over five scoreless frames.
Kremer touched 95 MPH with his fastball and effectively used his splitter against six left-handed hitters. He threw 58 of 83 pitches for strikes and recorded eight of his 15 outs via punch out.
The righty would have returned for the sixth under normal circumstances, but he did not eclipse 75 pitches in any of his three rehab starts. Kremer managed to successfully ease back into major league pitching without placing a large burden on Baltimore’s bullpen tonight.
Kremer’s performance over the next month will play a part in any potential trade deadline decisions. The Orioles would love to have a healthy Kremer in the middle of their rotation after losing multiple starters for the season. He looked healthy tonight.
Kremer did not allow a hit until the fourth inning. He walked the leadoff batter and went 3-2 against against Dylan Moore in the third, but Kremer reached back for a strikeout on the ninth pitch of the at bat. He struck out J.P. Crawford for the second out and retired Josh Rojas to clinch a shutdown inning.
Kremer struck out Cal Raleigh and Jorge Polanco in the fourth and punched out Crawford again to end the fifth.
Logan Gilbert looked the part of the league-leader in WHIP early on, but the Orioles broke through in the third. Ramón Urías managed a one-out walk, and Adley Rutschman reached base by taking a 3-2 slider with two outs. Gilbert fell off the mound and began walking toward the dugout, but Rutschman resisted the temptation as the pitch fell out of the zone. Gilbert only walked one batter in the month of June before issuing three free passes tonight.
Seattle pitching coach Pete Woodworth came out to provide Gilbert a breather, but the tactic failed to yield positive results. Ryan O’Hearn punched a ball to left-center that deflected off a running Julio Rodríguez’s glove. Both runners raced home, and the Orioles held a two-run advantage with O’Hearn standing on second.
Ryan Mountcastle plated O’Hearn with a single to right, and the Orioles quickly led 3-0. Anthony Santander put two runners in scoring position with a double to the gap, but Jordan Westburg went down swinging to keep the game within reach.
O’Hearn just missed out on being named a starter for the American League, but he played like an All-Star this evening. He followed his two-run double with a solo homer in the top of the fifth, and provided an extremely classy post-game interview on the MASN broadcast.
“A couple years ago I thought this was a pipe dream,” O’Hearn said. “When I came to Baltimore it seemed like everything changed for me.” O’Hearn thanked the city and the organization while relenting with a smile that he was “ecstatic” when they banned the shift a few years ago.
Brandon Hyde summoned a lefty for the sixth inning, but Keegan Akin failed to keep the shutout intact. Raleigh launched a solo homer to provide the Mariners their first run of the series. Jacob Webb replaced Akin and recorded the final out of the sixth. He stayed on and delivered a scoreless seventh with some help from a diving Anthony Santander in right field.
Cíonel Pérez posted a zero in the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel comfortably navigated the ninth for his 438th save. Kimbrel struck out the first two batters he faced after running the count full, and he retired Rodríguez with a harmless pop up in foul territory to end the game.
Baltimore will go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon at 4:05 EST. Corbin Burnes will make his first start after the birth of his twin daughters.