An uneven start to the season raised questions about Dean Kremer’s spot in the rotation.
However, Kremer made the necessary adjustments and he has become one of the Orioles’ most effective starters.
Kremer (5-1, 4.61 ERA) put together his fourth consecutive solid start on May 21 in Toronto, allowing one run and nine hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in 5.1 innings. The Orioles won the game 8-3 in 11 innings and earned their first road sweep of the Blue Jays since 2005.
Baltimore has won each of the four games that Kremer has started this month. He has gone 3-0 with 18 strikeouts, six walks and a 1.96 ERA during that stretch. He gave up 13 runs, including five homers, in his first three starts of the season. Kremer has allowed just two home runs during his four starts in May.
“We stuck to our game plan pretty well, myself and the relievers as well. We had a pretty concrete plan and just kind of attacked that way,” Kremer said after his start against the Blue Jays. “Always try to string together good outings and progress as a pitcher throughout the season.”
Kremer was acquired by the Orioles with infielder Rylan Bannon, outfielder Yusniel Díaz, right-hand pitcher Zach Pop and infielder Breyvic Valera from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for shortstop Manny Machado on July 18, 2018. Kremer is the only player still with the organization.
Last season, Kremer battled an oblique injury to begin the season but still made a career-high 22 appearances, including a career-high eight quality starts. He finished the year 8-7 with a 3.23 ERA.
This season, he has done a solid job mixing his cutter with his fastball and sinker.
The results have been impressive.
“It definitely helps add to the confidence to kind of continue what I did last year,” Kremer said. “I’m very happy with the results, and it’s definitely something to build off of.”
Mullins Keeps Rolling
During a season in which the Orioles are getting production from several players throughout the lineup, Cedric Mullins might be the team’s most valuable player.
Mullins had five hits, including a two-run double in the 11th inning, as part of an 8-3 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 21. Mullins is slashing .283/.367/.509 with seven homers, 38 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 198 plate appearances on the season.
On May 12, Mullins became the seventh player in club history to hit for the cycle.
“The adjustments that I made, especially left-on-left, that was a main focus during the offseason,” he said. “I am seeing a lot of positive results from it. I’m just sticking with what I’ve been doing and continuing to shoot for those results.”
Mullins has been a clutch hitter this year. He is 19-for-40 (.475) with runners in scoring position.
In 2021, Mullins managed to become part of the 30-30 club when he hit 30 homers and stole 30 bases. This season, he might be performing even better.
“He is just playing an unbelievable brand of baseball right now on both sides,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Gold Glove defender and just hitting rockets all over the field and getting huge hits for us. He’s doing everything.”
Rutschman Leads Orioles’ Charge
Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman has met or even exceeded the lofty expectations surrounding him as a so-called generational player.
The Orioles have gone 91-60 with Rustchman in the starting lineup since he was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on May 21, 2022.
This season, Rustchman is leading the charge again and has the Orioles in position to make a run at their first postseason berth since 2016. He is slashing .271/.400/.435 with seven homers and 25 RBIs in 170 at-bats. He has also earned 38 walks, second-best in the majors behind Juan Soto (41).
And he is only getting started as a major leaguer.
“I’ve said so many great things about him and rightfully so,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He handled that so well and for a guy that young to handle a spotlight like that and the anticipation of what he is going to look like in the big leagues and what he is going to bring to our team. He is just a pro.”
Rutschman was the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2019 MLB Draft after batting .352 with 72 extra-base hits, 174 RBIs and a 1.032 OPS in 185 games at Oregon State. He has met or exceeded almost every level of expectations along the way in his professional journey.
Rutschman played 123 games for Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk in 2021, batting .285 with 23 home runs and 85 RBIs. He then batted .309 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 19 games across three levels of the minors in 2022 after recovering from a triceps injury.
Rutschman was promoted to the major league club last May and helped the team make a bid for the playoffs after a 16-25 start.
Rutschman ranked among MLB rookie leaders in doubles (first), walks (second), extra-base hits (tied for third), on-base percentage (fourth), OPS (fourth), runs (sixth), slugging (seventh), total bases (eighth) and hits (tenth).
Rutschman finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez and was voted the winner of the Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award by members of the local media. He became the fifth catcher in MLB history to record at least a 5.0 WAR as a rookie.
This season, he is a more seasoned leader despite being only 25 years old.
“He’s been everything that was advertised and way, way more,” Hyde said. “The person he is as well the player that he is.”
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox