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Interim manager Tony Mansolino reminded the media again this afternoon that the Orioles have beaten tough pitchers in the past. They didn’t fear Tarik Skubal. They weren’t cowering in corners of the clubhouse. Start the game and get after it.
They created some traffic in the first two innings tonight, drawing only the eighth walk off Skubal this season. But his roll was coming, and the Orioles couldn’t do much about it.
Dean Kremer surrendered two home runs in the fourth inning to give Skubal plenty of room to operate in the Tigers’ 4-1 victory before an announced crowd of 18,800 at Camden Yards. Last year’s unanimous choice for the American League’s Cy Young tossed seven shutout innings, and the Orioles lost back-to-back series after a six-game winning streak.
The Angels are next for the Orioles (27-40), who managed three hits off Skubal. He struck out Coby Mayo to end the seventh, pounded his fist in his glove and accepted cheers from Tigers fans behind the visiting dugout.
Tonight marked Skubal’s sixth scoreless outing. He blanked the Orioles for six innings on April 27 in Detroit. His ERA is down to 1.99.
"We missed him twice, both games last year, and I think we probably paid the price for that this year and we got him both times," Mansolino said. "So I think somebody said he had six punchouts. Is that right? I think that's the positive for us. We battled, we put the ball in play. He's doing that to everybody right now, so tip your cap to him.”
On the verge of being shut out, the Orioles responded to Skubal’s removal with Dylan Carlson’s leadoff homer against Tommy Kahnle in the eighth. Carlson had three hits.
Dillon Dingler homered with one out in the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie, and it almost broke center fielder Colton Cowser, who slammed into the wall as he began his leap in front of the bullpen. Carlson stood over Cowser and signaled for head athletic trainer Scott Barringer.
Cowser slowly made it back on his feet, but the Orioles were floored again by Parker Meadows’ three-run shot that followed back-to-back, one-out singles.
Meadows had zero homers and RBIs before his at-bat. Kremer struck him out with a splitter in the second, but he drove a fastball over the grounds crew shed at 105.5 mph.
“He just didn't have to split that inning," Mansolino said. "The split was up. He just couldn't get the thing down and he got himself into trouble that one inning. And I think when we see Dean not have his best outings, it probably revolves around one bad inning and he'll probably tell you the same thing. But you think about what he did, we’re in the middle of 16 in a row right here and he takes us all the way to the ninth."
Kremer covered seven innings and allowed four runs and five hits in his second career major league relief appearance. He entered in the third inning of a Sept. 7, 2022 game against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards and took the loss with two earned runs in 5 1/3.
"We did not want to use the bullpen once we went down 4-0 to Skubal," Mansolino said. "You go down 4-0 to Skubal, it kind of feels like 8-0. So you're kind of in your mind thinking, ‘OK, how can we only use one guy right here?’ And he made it work for us and I think that made it a better outing than maybe what the four runs looked like.”
Kremer tied his season high with eight strikeouts tonight and threw 105 pitches, one short of his career high. He retired 11 in a row and 13 of 14 after Meadows’ homer.
He also got on a roll, but it happened too late.
"I executed pretty much for the most part," he said. "I got beat on a couple balls, and that was the story of the game there."
Kremer didn't worry about the opposing pitcher or let Skubal influence his approach.
"I (couldn't) care less who I'm facing on the other side of the mound," he said. "All I care about is who's in the lineup that night and try to take care of business and keep us in the game no matter who's throwing."
The Orioles used left-hander Keegan Akin as the opener and he tossed a scoreless, 27-pitch first inning. Jahmai Jones had a leadoff double and Spencer Torkelson walked with two outs, but Akin notched his second strikeout, getting Kerry Carpenter to chase a 95.1 mph fastball.
In three “starts,” Akin has registered 3 2/3 scoreless innings with one hit allowed.
"(They) told me that it was in consideration a day or two ago," Kremer said of following Akin. "They had their reasons why, and I understand those reasons. It's part of the game."
Coby Mayo drew a two-out walk in the second inning and Carlson’s fly ball fell in left-center field for a single, but Cowser struck out on three pitches, the last a 97.7 mph fastball. Eight batters in a row were retired and 12 of 13. Carlson singled again in the fifth.
Ramón Laureano drew a leadoff walk in the seventh, only the second multi-walk start for Skubal this season and the first since April 2. Two strikeouts followed to give Skubal six.
"You can think all you want and approach," Laureano said, "but you’ve got to go out there with the mindset of competing your ass off, so that’s it."
"I think maybe after the game, you understand why the hitters didn't score in eight (innings) today," Mansolino said. "I think that's fair. I think none of us really want to stand in the box against him. It's probably why we're sitting in this room right now. But no, when you go in the game, I think the way you're beating that guy, it's a walk, it's a double, it's a three-run homer or something along those lines. You've got to get guys on base, right? And the guys battled, punched out only six times against probably the best pitcher in baseball right now. I think you kind of take some solace in that.”
