Wednesday Bird Droppings: Dean Kremer has figured something out

Good morning, Birdland!

The beauty of being in the throes of a rebuild is that losses still don’t sting quite as bad as they do when you are competing. There will always be things to learn and positives to glean. Or at least that is what I am telling myself after the Orioles 2-0 loss on Tuesday night.

The Orioles lost in a dumb way, and they managed just one hit. The lessons there are do not be dumb, and get more hits next time. See? Useful.

But actually, it’s all about Dean Kremer. He was great again, tossing seven scoreless innings while striking out five, walking two, and allowing four hits. His fastball velocity, once again, was slightly up from his previous start. Each time out to the mound he throws a tad harder than the time before. That pitch averaged 93.9 mph and maxed out at 95.4 mph last night. Whatever they did with him over the offseason, it worked.

How can this be? In addition to Kremer, Tyler Wells has also been tremendous in his conversion from reliever to starter. Having two pitchers be effective out of the rotation at the same time? We are being spoiled here.

But seriously, it is awesome! Hopefully Kremer and Wells can maintain their current level, and perhaps Kyle Bradish can sort out his early-career struggles. Then you add Matt Harvey to the mix. Hoo, we are cooking with gas!

Links

Elias explains timing of latest prospect promotions | Roch Kubatko
It feels like all of the sudden things are moving quickly in the Orioles farm system. Roch points out that 16 of their top 17 prospects are now at Double-A or higher. That puts many of them just a heartbeat away from the big leagues, which feels amazing after the years of waiting. As fun as 2022 has been, could 2023 been even more so?

Gunnar Henderson is first Triple-A Norfolk player to hit for the cycle in 22 years: ‘It was really special’ | The Baltimore Sun
It is becoming increasingly difficult to not have sky high expectations for the eventual debut of Gunnar Henderson. The guy is simply having an absurd minor league season. The power. The walk rate. The lack of strikeouts. And he may end up at a premium position on the field. I cannot handle this!

Jorge López still feels ‘weird’ about his new closer routine, but the Orioles right-hander has earned it | The Baltimore Sun
This may not be a hot take, but it feels like it might qualify as such on certain parts of the internet: The Orioles should have more than one all-star. Austin Hays is their best position player at the moment, and he has the numbers to make a case as one of the top five or six outfielders in the AL. And then there is López, who has flown under the radar but is absolutely playing like a top five closer. Send them both!

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Travis Lakins Sr. turns 28 today. The right-handed pitcher is currently on the 15-day IL, but has appeared in each of the last three seasons with the Orioles. Over 64 total innings he owns a 5.20 ERA in Baltimore.
• Pedro Viola celebrates his 39th. A waiver claim from the Reds in 2010, Viola pitched in six games with the Orioles between 2010 and ‘11.
• The late Dizzy Trout (1915-1972) was also born on this day. The righty concluded his 15-season big league career with a two-game stint on the 1957 O’s.

This day in O’s history

2002 - Gary Matthews Jr. has a huge day. He amasses five hits, including a double and a home run, as part of an Orioles 11-1 romp over the Phillies.

2013 - Chris Davis’ standout season continues. He hits two home runs to pull into the league lead with 30, and drives in five runs, leaving him just six RBI short of a career-high, as the O’s beat the Yankees 11-3.

2019 - The Orioles win back-to-back games for the first time since early May. They do so in impressive fashion, shutting out Cleveland 13-0 for the second game in a row.