Dean Kremer pitched a lot better than his statistics look this afternoon against Texas at Camden Yards. He fell apart a bit in the fifth, but prior to that he was stellar. You always like a decent outing on a day such at the 4th of July. Kremer’s line: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 4 K.
The O’s took the lead in the last of the second when Jonathan Arauz smacked an RBI-single to right. An inning later that was extended to a 2-0 lead on Cedric Mullins’ RBI-double. Texas would get on the board in the fifth on a sac fly-RBI by Garcia.
But little did we know that was a harbinger for what was to come. Because Kremer struggled in the fifth inning, and eventually departed before it was over. Lowe’s RBI-single tied the game at two. But Garver smacked a three-run homer, which gave Texas a 5-2 lead, and sent Kremer to the showers.
But the O’s still had a lot of fight in them. One way or the other, this team battles, and it definitely shows. Cedric Mullins’ solo homer in the last of the fifth cut the lead to 5-3. Arauz would later reach on an E3, allowing two runs to score, tying the game at five.
And that’s when things got interesting. Well, they were “interesting” from the beginning, but you get the idea! The O’s threatened a few times, but couldn’t score. They did however bring in beleaguered closer Jorge Lopez to pitch the ninth. And sadly, Lopez continued his string of struggles, surrendering the go-ahead run in the form of a solo homer to Semien.
However keep in mind that the home team bats last. And the Birds still had the last of the ninth, where they made good of their final opportunity in the regular innings. Adley Rutschman’s RBI-double tied the game at six, and sent us to extra innings.
And after retiring Texas, the O’s found themselves in a good position. Austin Hays began the inning at second base, per MLB rules. Roughned Odor tried to sacrifice him over to third, but the pitcher (Moore) bobbled the ball, and everyone was safe. Texas opted to intentionally walk Ramon Urias, loading the bases and bringing Jorge Mateo to the plate.
For the record, that was sound baseball logic, as it gave Texas a force out at every base. what was unfortunate if you’re Texas was that Moore hit Mateo with the first pitch he threw in the at-bat, giving him first base and playing Austin Hays to give the Orioles a 7-6 win. As I said, a force at every base. Meaning that you have nowhere to put the runner.
End of the day, it was a good win for the O’s. A lot of moving parts, but a good win. However the ninth inning has just become very much in question, as Lopez is struggling. Granted today wasn’t a blown save, as the Orioles didn’t have a lead at the time for him to save. But it’s the same effect. It’ll be interesting to see if he gets the ball if the O’s are in a save situation tomorrow and onward.
The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Austin Voth gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Spencer Howard. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 