BALTIMORE — Part of the reason the Orioles could justify not being more aggressive in adding starting pitching this offseason was their confidence in their incumbent group.
But then top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez wasn’t deemed ready for their season-opening rotation. He arrived only because Kyle Bradish exited his season debut in the second inning with a bruised right foot. On Wednesday, Dean Kremer, who opened the year as Baltimore’s No. 2 starter, continued to struggle in an 8-4 defeat to the Oakland Athletics.
The Orioles’ bullpen joined Kremer in not looking like the 2022 version, as an Oakland team that entered the night as baseball’s worst struck for four runs over the final two frames, while Kremer again was unable to perform as the pitcher who was perhaps the most improved member of Baltimore’s breakout season.
Overcoming a disastrous rookie season to become the most dependable member of the Orioles’ rotation in the year’s second half, the 27-year-old right-hander didn’t allow more than three earned runs in his final 10 outings of 2022. He’s now done so in each of his three starts this season. After he ended last year with a dozen appearances of at least five innings, he’s gotten that far only once in 2023.
With two on and one out in the first inning, an 0-2 sweeping slider — a pitch Kremer added this offseason — to Brent Rooker didn’t break out of the strike zone, becoming a three-run home run. He retired 11 of the next 13 batters to get through the fourth, with the Orioles scoring two in the second inning on Jorge Mateo’s RBI double and Ryan McKenna’s sacrifice fly on which Rooker was given an error for dropping the ball in right.
Oakland catcher Carlos Pérez, who served as Kremer’s batterymate several times with Double-A Bowie in 2019, took him deep to open the fifth inning. After a groundout, Kremer issued his first two walks, ending his outing after 90 pitches.
Mike Baumann, continuing his successful transition to a relief role, got a double play to spare Kremer of more runs on his line. In 12 1/3 innings across three starts, Kremer has surrendered 13 earned runs, five home runs and six walks.
The Orioles (6-6) evened the game in the seventh. Adam Frazier, playing right field Wednesday as Anthony Santander nursed a sore back, singled, went to second on a passed ball and scored on a pinch-hit single by Cedric Mullins, who was out of the lineup for a standard day off. Mullins moved into scoring position on Austin Hays’ groundout, and Adley Rutschman continued his scorching start to his first full season with a game-tying hit.
But a bullpen that has been taxed by the rotation’s short starts sprung leaks in the final frames. The A’s (3-9) loaded the bases against left-handers Keegan Akin and Cionel Pérez in the eighth, with former Oriole Jesús Aguilar delivering a go-ahead sacrifice fly. Kevin Smith followed with a run-scoring bunt before Carlos Pérez singled in another run. Cionel Pérez allowed three more hits to open the ninth as the A’s added an insurance run.
Oakland, which scored five runs across three games in getting swept by the undefeated Tampa Bay Rays entering this series, has tagged Baltimore for eight runs in two straight games. The Orioles turn to former A’s left-hander Cole Irvin on Thursday to try to win the four-game series after winning Monday and Tuesday.
