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That’s a wrap on Dean Kremer’s 2025 season. He put a pretty bow on it.
Kremer made his final start tonight and shut out the Rays on one hit in 6 1/3 scoreless innings in the Orioles’ 6-0 victory before an announced crowd of 15,267 at Camden Yards. He waited through a 1 hour and 11 minute rain delay and started to deal.
Colton Cowser belted a two-run homer in the sixth, giving him 16 to tie Gunnar Henderson for second on the team, and the Orioles began their last home series by improving their record to 74-83 overall and 6-5 against Tampa Bay. They moved within two games of fourth place.
Kremer finishes with an 11-10 record, 4.23 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 30 appearances covering 170 1/3 innings, including a bulk relief assignment. He received a standing ovation as he came out of the game at 97 pitches after nailing Junior Caminero in the back with a splitter with one out in the seventh. Kremer walked none and struck out four.
“It was really good,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “I feel like we’ve seen that outing seven or eight times this year, that same type of deal. Commanding the pitches, attacking the zone. When he got behind, he was able to get back in the fight a little bit, getting them to put the ball in play, weak contact. It was a very nice outing for him right there.”
Kremer appreciated the reception as he left the mound for the last time.
"I mean, it’s not about how you start, it's how you finish," he said. "That’s what everybody remembers, so to be able to go out and get some cheers definitely helps."
Reflecting on the season will happen a little later.
"I mean, it’s not going to happen until at least Sept. 29 because the season isn’t over yet, but yeah there’s a lot to be learned," he said. "There’s a lot to be happy about. There’s some things that were a little frustrating throughout the year, but grow every year and try to get better."
José Castillo stranded Kremer’s runner and one of his own, with Hunter Feduccia lining to third baseman Jordan Westburg for the final out. Kremer improved his ERA to 1.64 in 11 career starts against the Rays.
The first nine Rays were retired before rookie Chandler Simpson delivered a bouncing single up the middle and advanced on a wild pitch. He was stranded at third base.
Kremer threw nine pitches in the first inning and 21 in the second while again retiring the side in order. Jake Mangum saw the last 10 before flying out.
Mangum reached with one out in the fifth on left fielder Dylan Beavers’ two-base error and Kremer responded by striking out Feduccia and Carson Williams. Kremer retired the side in order on nine pitches in the sixth and struck out Brandon Lowe to open the seventh.
“He’s been a workhouse," Cowser said. "He came in on both sides of the plate. I feel like he’s been doing that all year."
The Orioles scored twice in the first inning against Ryan Pepiot after Jackson Holliday drew a leadoff walk and Westburg doubled down the left field line. Henderson flied to the left-center field fence, 372 feet away, and Westburg came home on Tyler O’Neill’s grounder.
Coby Mayo led off the third with a bloop single into center field, Pepiot retired the next two batters and Henderson singled to center for his 66th RBI. Henderson stole his 28th base in 32 attempts.
Pepiot faced the Orioles four times this season and he was really good on June 16 in Tampa with one run and 11 strikeouts in eight innings. The other three fell way short, including tonight with three runs in three innings.
Westburg had a sacrifice fly off Ian Seymour in the fifth after Cowser and Mayo singled. Mayo has four multi-hit games in his last 10. Seymour drilled Samuel Basallo on the left elbow with a 90.4 mph sinker with two outs in the sixth and Cowser cleared the center field fence with a 426-foot shot.
“Didn’t realize I was one off, but yeah, you know, it’s been a tough year as a team as well as individually," Cowser said. "So I think that for me, just trying to find the positives from what’s come this year and isolating and trying to pick out what things I can work on and carry onto the offseason.”
Cowser bumped his average from .198 to .202, leaving his power as his most effective tool this year. He's focused on catching more barrel.
“I think swings and misses are part of the game," he said. "You look at a lot of the really good players in this league and they swing and miss. For me, I think that it’s trying to, I guess, trying to cut down a little bit on that swing-and-miss early in counts, whether it’s getting off-speed pitches in zone and getting those and hitting them where they’re pitched. So just trying to cut down on that, I think, is the big thing for me. And so, I think by doing that it will allow me to get better pitches to hit, taking my walks, not pressing.
"I feel like I’ve been pressing this whole second half, trying to get four hits in one at-bat rather than letting the pitcher come to me and taking the walks whenever I can.”
The Rays couldn’t put up much of a fight. Colin Selby returned from the injured list and retired his three batters in the eighth, and Yaramil Hiraldo worked around a two-out walk in the ninth, striking out two and breaking one bat.
The Orioles nailed down their seventh shutout, and it began with Kremer.
“Deano is a very valuable part of this team in a lot of ways,” Mansolino said. “Obviously, what you see on the field, but behind the scenes, what he does in the clubhouse as well. He’s been one of the guys who has stepped up a little bit and kind of helped guide us in the clubhouse. On the field, he’s a guy who has good starts, a lot of them, eats innings, wins big games.
“He’s pitching in the AL East, too. All these teams he’s facing in this division, they’ve seen him a ton here over the last five years. So to see him go out against another AL East foe that’s a solid team, probably hasn’t been playing their best here lately, but to still navigate it the way he did speaks volumes of what Dean does.”
Adley Rutschman went 0-for-4 in his return from the injured list, but he set the target and guided Kremer through the quality start.
“I’ll say this, our pitching guys said - I think it was the eighth or ninth inning - they made the comment, ‘He just knows what he’s doing back there,'" Mansolino said of Rutschman. "In terms of calling the game, don’t undervalue the fact Deano just had such an efficient, clean outing the first day Adley’s back. He has become a very good catcher in this league in understanding how to get hitters out and how to navigate the game multiple times through the order with our pitchers, specifically, too.
"I thought it was a very nice game behind the plate. Liked where he’s at. Give him a few days, hopefully he gets the bat going.”
The Orioles are 13-7 this month and putting forth the same effort. They aren't coasting to the finish.
"One of those things when you look at how the trade deadline went, got rid of a lot of guys and be able to jell together as a team is really important, especially this last month," Cowser said. "Even against the Yankees, I don’t feel like we played all that poorly, but this month has been really good. Hopefully, we win as many games as possible. We only have five left.”
Shrinking the number of players on the injured list is helping the cause. Cowser, Henderson, Rutschman, Westburg, Ryan Mountcastle and Zach Eflin shared a house in spring training and haven't been able to get on the field together.
“I think it’s been one of those things where we joke around and I think our spring training house has not even played a game together this entire year, which is kind of wild," Cowser said. "It's a really good group and getting to play together right now is really good for us.”
