Dean Kremer was slightly better than the numbers indicate tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. Slightly. Not by much. Kremer’s line: 5.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R (5 earned), 0 BB, 4 K.
Kremer gave up a two-run homer to Lowe in the second inning. This after a tight grounder down the left field line right where Jordan Westburg had shifted away from. One inning later with a runner on third, Kremer uncorked a wild pitch, and the Orioles trailed 3-0.
You noticed on the line score that Kremer didn’t walk anyone. In theory that’s a good thing. But it also shows that Kremer was in the strike zone a lot. Too much of a good thing is often a bad thing.
You have to mix your pitches and you have to locate them with late movement. Kremer was serving them up. And Washington hitters took advantage.
Garcia’s RBI-single in the fifth extended the lead to 4-0. Garcia also advanced to second on a Cedric Mullins throwing error. He would score on Ruiz’s run-scoring single.
Kremer would also surrender a solo homer to Cruz in the sixth, before he was pulled. Ruiz would add an RBI-double in the seventh, and the O’s dropped game one in Washington, 7-0. But make no mistake, Kremer being in the strike zone early and often wasn’t the sole issue.
The Orioles mustered one hit. Offensively, it was a fairly listless effort. It’s fair to say that the bats didn’t give Kremer the chance to win. So…where do we go from here?
I would say this; Brandon Hyde should probably figure out a lineup and stick to it. When guys are hitting above or behind different people every game it makes things tougher to get in a groove. I get that you have to look at numbers, matchups, and the opposing starter. That all makes a difference.
However it’s almost as if opposing managers are a step ahead of the Orioles’ lineup, and they’re getting the opportunity to dictate games before they even start. Only thing we can say for sure is they managed one hit tonight.
Oh the flip side, I also wonder if somehow pitches aren’t being tipped. Small things like that make a difference. The coaches need to take a hard look at several games’ worth of film, and figure out if someone’s doing something slightly off or mundane that’s telling teams what’s coming.
Look no further than the first hitter of the game tonight, who masterfully hit against the Orioles’ partial shift. A shift that was designed to protect against a guy getting on base. Instead, it actively assisted in it. Teams are using the Orioles against them. And it’s working.
The series continues tomorrow night at Nationals Park. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Trevor Williams. Game time is set for 6:45 PM.
Birdland Crush 