Dean Kremer is showing his maturity as a starting pitcher.
The right-hander has been showing improvement in the starting rotation this season.
In his latest start, Kremer shut down the Angels on April 24, tying a career high with 10 strikeouts in a 6-5 victory. He allowed two runs and three hits in 5.1 innings, throwing 101 pitches. He improved to 1-2 with a 4.61 ERA on the season.
The Orioles, who took two of the three games against Los Angeles, are in second place in the AL East. They begin a three-game series with the lame duck Oakland Athletics at Camden Yards on April 26.
“Dean threw so well,” manager Brandon Hyde told reporters after the game. “He just threw a lot of pitches, unfortunately.”
The key for Kremer moving forward is to have more consistency.
After allowing one run in seven innings to the Pirates in April, he struggled in his next outing against the Brewers, allowing eight runs and 10 hits in just four innings — his shortest outing of the season. His performance against Milwaukee ballooned his ERA from 2.19 to 4.96.
However, Kremer has been mostly solid in his past two starts, allowing five runs and five hits in 11 innings.
“Everything’s kind of feeling good and my body feels good,” Kremer told the media after the game. “So, it’s just kind of keep everything rolling for as long as you can.”
Kyle Bradish and John Means are getting closer to rejoining the club. However, Kremer’s spot in the middle of the rotation appears secure as long as he keeps improving.
Gunnar Henderson Dominant … Again
One year after winning American League Rookie of the Year, Gunnar Henderson is having an MVP-caliber season.
Gunnar Henderson had three hits, including a home run for the second straight game, and reached base five times in the 6-5 victory against the Angels in the series finale.
Henderson is slashing .309/.373/.649 and is second in the American League with eight homers behind Mike Trout (10) and leads the Orioles with 20 RBIs.
Even more encouraging is that Henderson is batting .324 against left-handed pitching.
“I’ve been making some adjustments,” Henderson told the media after the game. “I kind of felt like I was getting around to where I wanted to be but still not exactly where I wanted to be. I felt like I made some good improvements in the cage today, so I’m making progress.”
After a slow start last season, Henderson has helped carry the Orioles lineup for the first month of this season. In his last 10 games, Henderson is slashing .450/.511/.925 with 5 homers, 11 RBIs and 11 runs.
“He’s done everything. He’s playing great defense, homers, steals, running the bases, and hits. It’s been awesome,” Hyde said.
Bullpen Struggles
The Orioles’ bullpen has been the club’s weak spot during the first month of the season.
The club has raced out to some big leads, but the relievers have allowed the opponents back into the game.
On April 24 against the Angels, the Orioles opened a 6-0 lead when Ryan Mountcastle hit into a double play that allowed Henderson to score from third. However, Jacob Webb gave up a homer to Taylor Ward in the sixth that cut the margin to 6-3.
Then, Yennier Cano allowed a solo homer to Zach Neto in the eighth that made the game even closer before Craig Kimbrel picked up his seventh save.
Orioles relievers had a 7.08 ERA in 20.1 innings between April 14 and April 20 — the third-worst in baseball during that span.
As a result, Hyde might need to make some adjustments that could include using Tyler Wells out of the bullpen when he returns from the IL.
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