The Baltimore Orioles got another solid start out of Dean Kremer this evening in the rubber match with Tampa. And make no mistake, it was a huge game. Whomever won tonight, would take two-of-three in the series. And given the standings, that was set to be huge. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K.
Kremer was outstanding. Unfortunately for the Birds, so were Tampa’s pitchers. I put it like that because they used Beeks as an “opener” in a sense. However both pitching staffs shut down the other side’s hitting. That’s why it’s called a pitcher’s duel!
But even in a pitcher’s duel, someone has to win. And from the Orioles’ perspective, the right team won. Adam Frazier grounded out in the last of the sixth with Adley Rutschman on third, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning Austin Hays’ RBI-double extended the lead to 2-0.
Franco’s RBI-single in the eighth cut the lead in half. However Danny Coulumbe got the Orioles out of the inning. They sent Tampa down 1-2-3 in the ninth, taking the game, 2-1.
Again, this is a huge win for the O’s. They took two-of-three from the team with the best record in baseball. There was reason to have optimism after the Atlanta series. Now even more so. In order to be the best, you have to beat the creme de la creme. And the Orioles did that this week.
Birdland Crush 