Former Oriole Dean Kremer Dominates Baltimore as Twins Beat Orioles 9-5
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog
The Baltimore Orioles ran into a familiar face Monday night, and Dean Kremer made his former team pay.
Kremer held Baltimore to just one hit over seven innings as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Orioles 9-5 at Target Field in the opening game of a three-game series. Baltimore fell to 57-62 while Minnesota improved to 59-61.
The loss was particularly painful for the Orioles because Kremer was pitching against Baltimore just days after the club traded him to Minnesota ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
Kremer allowed one run on one hit over seven innings while striking out seven and walking only one. Baltimore did not begin generating consistent offense until Kremer was out of the game.
Kremer Silences His Former Team
Baltimore entered the night coming off a 10-run performance against the Texas Rangers, but there was almost no carryover against Kremer.
The former Orioles right-hander retired Baltimore in order in each of the first three innings, including consecutive strikeouts of Colton Cowser and Carlos Narváez in the third.
Minnesota gave Kremer a lead in the bottom half when Austin Martin launched a solo home run to left-center field off Orioles starter Trevor Rogers. The 399-foot homer was Martin’s third of the season and put Minnesota ahead 1-0.
Baltimore finally reached Kremer in the fourth.
Gunnar Henderson drew a leadoff walk before Pete Alonso grounded out, moving Henderson to second. Jackson Holliday then recorded Baltimore’s first hit with an infield single.
The Orioles tied the game in an unusual way.
With Tyler O’Neill batting, Baltimore attempted a double steal. O’Neill struck out, but Holliday remained in a rundown long enough for Henderson to race home before the Twins could complete the play.
The result was a 1-1 game despite Baltimore having only one hit.
Minnesota immediately answered.
Luke Keaschall was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the fourth before Brooks Lee doubled. Kaelen Culpepper followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Keaschall and restored Minnesota’s lead at 2-1.
Rogers Keeps Orioles Close
Rogers did not dominate, but he gave Baltimore an opportunity to stay in the game.
The left-hander allowed two runs on four hits over four innings while striking out four and walking two. Rogers fell to 7-8 with the loss.
Baltimore’s bigger issue was that the lineup could not solve Kremer.
After Holliday’s fourth-inning single, Kremer did not allow another Baltimore hit. He retired the Orioles in order in the fifth and sixth before completing his night with another scoreless frame in the seventh.
Baltimore managed only one run and one hit against Kremer over seven innings.
For a team trying to remain relevant in the American League playoff race, that was simply not enough.
Five-Run Seventh Breaks Game Open
Baltimore remained within one run until the seventh inning.
Then the game completely unraveled.
Minnesota erupted for five runs against the Orioles bullpen to turn a competitive 2-1 game into a 7-1 blowout.
Ryan Jeffers delivered the first major blow with a two-run single to left field with runners at second and third and nobody out.
Two batters later, Josh Bell delivered the crushing swing.
Bell drove a three-run home run to center field for his 16th homer of the season, suddenly giving Minnesota a six-run advantage.
The inning effectively decided the game.
Jeffers finished the night 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, while Bell went 2-for-5 with the homer and three RBIs.
Martin was arguably Minnesota’s biggest offensive star.
The Twins leadoff hitter went 4-for-5 with a home run, double and three runs scored. His production constantly put pressure on Baltimore’s pitching staff throughout the night.
Mayo Leads Late Orioles Rally
Baltimore finally showed some offensive life once Kremer left the game.
Coby Mayo doubled home a run in the eighth before Christian Encarnacion-Strand drove in another with a groundout, cutting Minnesota’s lead to 7-3.
But Minnesota immediately answered again in the bottom half.
Martin singled and stole second before Jeffers doubled him home. Royce Lewis followed with an RBI single, pushing the Twins’ advantage back to 9-3.
Baltimore refused to completely go away.
Alonso and Holliday opened the ninth with consecutive singles. After two outs, Mayo delivered another big hit, lining a two-run single into right field that scored both runners.
That brought the Orioles within 9-5, but Cowser grounded out to end the game.
Mayo finished 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, accounting for three of Baltimore’s five runs.
The Orioles finished with seven hits after entering the eighth inning with only one.
A Rough Reunion for Baltimore
There is no way around the main storyline of this game.
The Orioles traded Kremer at the deadline, and less than two weeks later he dominated them.
Kremer spent more than six seasons with Baltimore before being sent to Minnesota. In only his second start for the Twins, he delivered arguably one of his strongest outings of the season against the organization that moved on from him.
Kremer improved to 2-4 while Baltimore was left wondering what might have been after failing to generate anything against a pitcher its hitters knew extremely well.
Baltimore’s offense has been inconsistent throughout the season, and Monday was another example.
The Orioles scored 10 runs Sunday against Texas but managed only one hit through seven innings Monday.
That type of offensive volatility makes it extremely difficult to build sustained momentum.
MSB Take
This one has to sting.
Dean Kremer was not just good against the Orioles. He completely controlled them.
One hit in seven innings against a pitcher who had been part of Baltimore’s rotation for years is difficult to explain. Baltimore’s hitters were familiar with Kremer’s repertoire, tendencies and approach, yet they still could not put together competitive offensive innings.
The bullpen collapse made the final score look much worse, but the game was really decided by Baltimore’s inability to generate offense early.
Coby Mayo deserves credit for continuing to produce. His three RBIs gave Baltimore some life late, and he continues to make a strong case for a major role in the Orioles’ future.
But late rallies do not matter much when the team is already trailing by six or eight runs.
Baltimore is now 57-62 and sits 15.5 games behind Tampa Bay in the American League East. With the season entering its final seven weeks, every game becomes increasingly important if the Orioles want to remain in the postseason conversation.
The Orioles have two more opportunities in Minnesota to turn the series around.
After watching a recently traded teammate dominate them Monday night, the response in Game 2 will be worth watching.
Final: Minnesota Twins 9, Baltimore Orioles 5
Winning pitcher: Dean Kremer (2-4) — 7 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Losing pitcher: Trevor Rogers (7-8) — 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
The Orioles and Twins continue their three-game series Tuesday night at Target Field.
