The game went as expected with a really talented left-handed pitcher on the mound to face an Orioles lineup that has struggled all season long against those types.
Dean Kremer had one bad inning, and the Orioles offense scuffled against on of the game’s best as they dropped the rubber game 4-1 to the Tigers on Thursday night at Camden Yards.
Welp, the Orioles offense did about as well against Tarik Skubal as you expected them to. That is to say, they stunk.
To be fair, the Orioles were putting in some good work early.
Lead off hitter Jordan Westburg was inches away from a leadoff double to begin the first inning. Right fielder Kerry Carpenter made a nice leaping catch right in front of the big right field wall to retire Westburg instead.
In the second inning, the Orioles got two runners on base, including a rare walk for Coby Mayo. But then Colton Cowser struck out to end the inning and let Skubal off the hook.
But from there on out it was rather easy for Skubal. He faced one batter above the minimum from the third inning through the end of his night in the seventh inning. The only base runners he allowed were a Dylan Carlson single—which was eliminated by a Cowser double play—and a Ramón Laureano walk.
The Tigers lefty is really good. He had a nice night here, although it was far from his finest showing of the season. He struck out six and walked a couple, but limited the Orioles to only three hits. That’s just how talented he is. Seven shutout innings can represent an “off” game for him.
The Orioles used three pitchers themselves. Keegan Akin served as the opener for an inning, Dean Kremer worked the “middle” seven innings, and Andrew Kittredge took the eighth.
Akin worked around a double and a walk in the first inning to keep Detroit off the board. Kittredge allowed a single, but then stranded the runner in the ninth. The meat of the evening belonged to Kremer, who was pretty darn good outside of one inning.
Kremer’s 105 pitches were seven more than Skubal. And his 29% whiff rate was far better than Skubal’s 23%. The righty’s splitter was working overtime. It made up 40% of his pitches, and he had a ridiculous 53% whiff rate on it despite his velocity being down across the board. There was a lot to like from Dean-o.
All of the bad stuff came in the fourth inning. Dillon Dingler smacked a one-out solo homer to give Detroit a 1-0 lead. Zach McKinstry and Javier Báez then delivered back-to-back singles before Parker Meadows broke the game open with a three-run homer to make it 4-0.
In a game with Skubal trotting out from the opposing dugout that felt like an insurmountable lead, and that turned out to be the case.
But credit to Kremer for holding the Tigers right there. Following the home run he recorded 11 consecutive outs. That streak ended with a leadoff walk in the eighth inning, but he wiped that out with a double play and then a strikeout to end the evening on a high note.
This was an important and impressive showing for Kremer. He wasn’t used as the starter, which can be construed as the Orioles trying to hide and protect their pitcher. But then he went out there and shoved for one of the longest outings by an Orioles pitcher all season long. He wasn’t perfect, but it’s hard to blame him for the loss.
The only offense the Orioles could muster came from Carlson. He was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a solo homer in the eighth inning. His season OPS now sits at .752, amongst the best marks on the team. It’s hard to justify sitting him on the bench when the Orioles need offense so badly.
There’s not much else to say. The Orioles didn’t play particularly poorly. The got beat by a really good opposing starter and were similarly shut down by the back of the Tigers bullpen. There’s a reason they are the best team in baseball while the Orioles are…not that.
A new series begins on Friday, when the Orioles welcome the Los Angeles Angels into town for a three-game set. It is not a good time to face the surging Halos. They are up to second in the AL West and are reportedly thinking about buying at next month’s trade deadline. That is an about face from the last time the Orioles played them in early May, when Brandon Hyde was still the skipper. Ah, you remember. Anyway…
The expected pitching matchup for game one is Charlie Morton (2-7, 6.59 ERA) versus Jack Kochanowicz (3-7. 5.61 ERA). Not exactly the makings of a low-scoring duel, but they will play the game just to make sure. First pitch is 7:08 p.m .ET.