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BALTIMORE — The Orioles needed a stopper. And right on cue, Dean Kremer returned.
After missing more than two months due to a right quad strain, Kremer was reinstated from the injured list on Wednesday, and provided exactly the type of outing Baltimore was looking for. The 30-year-old right-hander tossed six innings of one-run ball to help the O’s snap a four-game losing streak with a 6-1 win in the matinee finale vs. the White Sox at Camden Yards.
Kremer got support from right fielder Tyler O’Neill, who made a diving catch that prevented a run from scoring to end the top of the fourth, and then jump-started the Orioles’ offense by opening the bottom of the fifth with a home run that ignited a four-run rally.
Baltimore (40-48) bounced back in impressive fashion after falling a season-worst nine games below .500 on Tuesday night.
Chicago pounced on Kremer early, as his second pitch of the day was deposited over the right-center-field wall for a leadoff homer by Sam Antonacci. But the righty settled in from there, retiring the next 11 batters until Braden Montgomery’s two-out double in the fourth.
The Orioles’ rotation had a strong June, with Trevor Rogers (2.05 ERA in five starts) and Brandon Young (2.76 ERA in five starts) having the best months on the staff. Kyle Bradish had up-and-down results, though he tossed back-to-back gems at one point (7 2/3 innings of one-run ball on June 17 in Seattle and eight scoreless frames on June 22 in Anaheim). Shane Baz also had a solid showing, recording a 3.68 ERA over six starts.
The return of Kremer (a seven-year MLB veteran who led the O’s with 171 2/3 innings pitched in 2025) should make the rotation even better.
Baltimore’s bats didn’t help Kremer early in his return, as Chicago left-hander Noah Schultz hadn’t given up a hit through four innings. But O’Neill got to the southpaw, clobbering a Statcast-projected 430-foot home run to left field to tie the game at 1.
It was O’Neill’s first homer since May 16 (ending a 25-game homer-less streak) and his first RBI since May 27 (ending a 17-game drought).
Adley Rutschman put the Orioles ahead, 2-1, with an RBI single, and they led the rest of the way. After the big rally in the fifth, Blaze Alexander added an RBI triple in the sixth.
The O’s hope this victory will be the start of a strong July that allows them to operate as buyers ahead of the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, as president of baseball operations Mike Elias stated Saturday he hopes to be in a position to do so.
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