Dean Kremer pitched one bad inning for the Baltimore Orioles this evening on Sunday Night Baseball. However he pitched to a quality start, which means he put the Birds in a position to win the game. And that’s all you can ask of a starting pitcher. That’s the goal. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K.
That one bad inning came in the fourth. And Kremer recorded two quick outs. He then gave up a base hit to Pena, who decided to run on an 0-1 pitch to Caratini. when Caratini got a base hit down, Pena scored from first – because he was running. Later in the inning Dezenzo’s two-RBI double extended the lead to 3-0.
Houston pressed the issue – always. And running into opponents as such might attest for why this keeps happening to the Orioles. Two-out rallies have hurt this team for years. You don’t expect a guy to run on an 0-1 count with two outs. Pena did, and Houston was rewarded.
But one inning later the Birds struck back. After a walk and a base hit, Ramon Urias came up with two on. And he smacked a three-run homer to tie the game, smack into the Orioles’ bullpen.
However another two-out rally would kill the Orioles on this night. Reliever Burch Smith recorded two quick outs in the seventh. However Houston went back-to-back on solo homers, giving them a 5-3 lead. Meyers would record a sac-fly RBI in the eighth, and the O’s fell 6-3.
I would remind folks that the vast majority of these four-game series’ are split. That was the case this weekend, and it’s usually the case overall. So in a way you have to expect a result like this after two charged games on Friday and Saturday.
But what keeps happening with these two-out rallies? I suspect part of it is a version letting your guard down – a version of it. When you record two quick outs it almost stands to reason that maybe you’re more apt to try to get more of the plate. See if you can get a quick third one and get out of the inning. And opponents are taking full advantage of that. Perhaps it’s almost predictable.
The Orioles only mustered two hits in this game. That’s concerning, but they also squared quite a few balls up and made loud contact. The ball just found Houston gloves. This whole Houston made some soft contact, but the balls fell in. On a positive note, Oriole pitching held Houston’s Altuve hitless tonight. He had recorded a hit in every game he had ever played at a Camden Yards – until tonight.
The Orioles are off tomorrow before opening a three-game set at Chavez Ravine against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday evening.
Birdland Crush 