Part of the reason the Orioles could justify not being more aggressive in adding starting pitching this offseason was their confidence in their incumbent group.
But then top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez wasn’t deemed ready for their season-opening rotation. He arrived only because Kyle Bradish exited his season debut in the second inning with a bruised right foot. On Wednesday, Dean Kremer, who opened the year as Baltimore’s No. 2 starter, continued to struggle in an 8-4 defeat to the Oakland Athletics.
The Orioles’ bullpen joined Kremer in not looking like the 2022 version, as an Oakland team that entered the night as baseball’s worst struck for four runs over the final two innings, while Kremer again was unable to perform as the pitcher who was perhaps the most improved member of Baltimore’s breakout season.
Overcoming a disastrous rookie season to become the most dependable member of the Orioles’ rotation in the year’s second half, the 27-year-old right-hander didn’t allow more than three earned runs in his final 10 outings of 2022. He’s now done so in each of his three starts this season. After he ended last year with a dozen appearances of at least five innings, he’s gotten that far only once in 2023. He’s almost halfway to his 2022 total for home runs allowed in a tenth as many innings.
“There’s a lot of positives, obviously some negatives,” Kremer said. “Just got to figure out a way to keep the ball in the yard, really. Then I’ll be where I was last year.”
With two on and one out in the first inning, an 0-2 sweeping slider — a pitch Kremer added this offseason — to Brent Rooker didn’t break out of the strike zone, leading to a three-run home run. Kremer retired 11 of the next 13 batters to get through the fourth, with the Orioles scoring two in the second inning on Jorge Mateo’s RBI double and Ryan McKenna’s sacrifice fly on which Rooker was given an error for dropping the ball in right.
Oakland catcher Carlos Pérez, who served as Kremer’s batterymate several times with Double-A Bowie in 2019, took him deep to open the fifth inning. After a groundout, Kremer issued his first two walks, ending his outing after 90 pitches.
“He’s just having a hard time getting guys out early in the count, honestly,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’ve had some 0-2 mistakes the last two nights. That hurts you, puts you in a 3-0 hole right away just because he hung one 0-2. So hopefully, we learn from those mistakes and get better.”
Mike Baumann, continuing his successful transition to a relief role, got a double play to spare Kremer of more runs on his line, needing only 17 pitches to record six outs. In 12 1/3 innings across three starts, Kremer has surrendered 13 earned runs, five home runs and six walks.
With the exception of his sinker, Kremer is throwing each of his returning pitches about a mile per hour harder on average than he did at the end of last year. He’s also pleased with the movement of his offerings, leading him to say his stuff is “improved compared to last year.”
“Just got to figure out how to keep in the zone,” Kremer said.
The Orioles (6-6) tied the game in the seventh. Adam Frazier, playing right field Wednesday as Anthony Santander nursed a sore back, singled, went to second on a passed ball and scored on a pinch-hit single by Cedric Mullins, who was out of the lineup for a standard day off. Mullins moved into scoring position on Austin Hays’ groundout, and Adley Rutschman continued his scorching start to his first full season with a game-tying hit. The knocks from Frazier and Mullins snapped respective 0-for-8 and 0-for-13 skids, while rookie Gunnar Henderson recorded his first hit in 16 at-bats with a single in the eighth.
In between, a bullpen that has been overworked by the rotation’s short starts sprung leaks in the final innings. The A’s (3-9) loaded the bases against left-handers Keegan Akin and Cionel Pérez in the eighth, with former Oriole Jesús Aguilar delivering a go-ahead sacrifice fly; on the play, left fielder Austin Hays threw to second base and allowed Jace Peterson to easily advance to third. Kevin Smith followed with a run-scoring bunt before Carlos Pérez singled in another run, with Mullins unable to field the grounder cleanly in center. Cionel Pérez allowed three more hits to open the ninth as the A’s added an insurance run.
The Orioles have been outscored 15-2 over the eighth and ninth innings this season.
“We’re pretty taxed in the ’pen,” Hyde said. “… It wasn’t Cionel’s night. Unlucky, some things that happened. Really great bunt by them. They did a nice job putting the ball in play, honestly. Made a mistake in the outfield. Give them credit. Cionel’s tough to hit, and they put the ball in play against him.”
Oakland, which scored five runs across three games in getting swept by the undefeated Tampa Bay Rays, has tagged Baltimore for eight runs in two straight games. The Orioles turn to former A’s left-hander Cole Irvin on Thursday to try to take the four-game series after winning Monday and Tuesday. Acquired from Oakland in a trade for infield prospect Darell Hernaiz this offseason, Irvin was unable to complete five innings in his first two starts with Baltimore.
Athletics at Orioles
Thursday, 1:05 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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