O’s win, Holliday homecoming, and Kremer’s new pitch.
Good Morning, Birdland,
The Orioles got their weekend in Denver off to a nice start, beating the Rockies 5-3 on Friday night. Yours truly recapped the late-night action. It was a solid win, but it did not always feel like the O’s had things in hand.
Early on, the offense was almost entirely on the shoulders of…Emmanuel Rivera. The recently added, glove-first infielder came over from the Marlins with a 56 OPS+. Now, let me check my notes. Ah, yes…that is NOT good. But he was good in this game. The bearded baseballer drove in three runs, two of which came on his first home run for the O’s. With Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle on the IL and Coby Mayo not yet realizing his potential in the big leagues, Rivera figures to get some chances against left-handed pitching. He has shown himself well so far.
On the mound it was all about Albert Suárez. He tossed a career-high seven innings and really locked things down over the final four frames. It might have sounded ridiculous a few weeks ago but right now, in this moment, Suárez is the Orioles’ best pitcher. That could change a lot in September. Zach Eflin is due back soon, Corbin Burnes will (hopefully!) snap out of his August issues, and Grayson Rodriguez is working to get healthy. But it has been Suárez that has kept the pitching staff afloat in recent weeks.
Tonight it’s Dean Kremer’s turn on the bump. The righty has made three solid starts in a row, compiling a 2.50 ERA over his last 18 innings. Most importantly for him, he has kept the ball in the park in that time. That will be a challenge in the thin air of Coors Field, but it is paramount to his success.
Let’s go get a series win, folks!
Links
Dean Kremer, armed with a new mystery pitch, is stepping up for injury-riddled Orioles | The Baltimore Sun
Speaking of Kremer, he has been in the lab working on new pitches. It sounds like he has one that’s really working, but it doesn’t have a name yet. Whatever it is, it’s working, keeping hitters off balance, and catapulting Kremer back into the postseason rotation discussion.
Orioles’ series in Colorado turns into Holliday family event | Roch Kubatko
Apparently the Rockies broadcast last night included a bunch of adorable anecdotes about Jackson spending time at the stadium with his dad. Who doesn’t love a homecoming!
In Baltimore, newly acquired Eloy Jiménez has a fresh start and a lot still to prove | The Athletic
It would be cool to see him prove that he can still hit a home run. The ball comes off his bat hard, but he just does not get under anything. It’s odd to see a 6-foot-4, 250-pound guy be a singles or gap hitter.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Steve Johnson turns 37 today. The Baltimore native (and son of former O’s pitcher Dave Johnson) spent parts of three seasons with his hometown Orioles from 2012-13, ‘15.
- Armando Gabino is 41. He pitched in five games for the Orioles during the 2010 campaign.
- Ramón Ramírez celebrates his 43rd birthday. A journeyman reliever for a decade, the righty wrapped up his big league career with one game for the 2014 O’s.
- Tim Raines Jr. turns 45. He patrolled the Orioles outfield for parts of three seasons (2001, 2003-04), which allowed him to overlap with his father, Tim Sr., and play in the same outfield as him.
- Mike Hartley is 63 years old. His Orioles career lasted just three games in 1995.
- Tom Dukes celebrates birthday number 82. During the 1971 season he pitched in 28 games out of the Orioles’ bullpen.
- The late Frank Robinson (b. 1935, d. 2019) was born on this day. A legend in not only Baltimore but also Cincinnati, Cleveland, and baseball at large, Robinson earned his place in Cooperstown in 1982. He spent six seasons with the Orioles from 1966 through ‘71. That included two World Series titles, five all-star appearances, an MVP award, and a Triple Crown. Robinson broke barriers as the first black manager in MLB history, earning that position for the Cleveland organization in late 1974. It was in that capacity that he returned to the Orioles in 1988, a role he maintained through 1991. His number is retired by three organizations, and those same three have a statue dedicated to him at their stadiums.
This day in O’s history
1955 – Orioles pitcher Bill Wight no-hits Cleveland for eight innings. Unfortunately, that came only after he had allowed five runs in the first inning, so he loses 5-1.
1992 – The O’s make a late-season swap, sending minor leaguer Erike Schullstrom and a player to be named later (infielder Ricky Gutiérrez) to the Padres for pitcher Craig Lefferts.
2007 – The Orioles send pitcher Steve Trachsel back to the Cubs in exchange for Scott Moore and Rocky Cherry. Trachsel had just signed with the O’s the previous offseason and was in the midst of a OK season (4.48 ERA over 140.2 innings)
2012 – Miguel González twirls a gem and Mark Reynolds smacks two home runs to lead the Orioles to a 6-1 win over the Yankees.