Dean Kremer delivered seven dominant innings, Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano each drove in two runs, and the surging Baltimore Orioles beat the Miami Marlins 5-2 on Friday night at Camden Yards.
With the win, Baltimore (43-50) has now taken six of its last seven games, pulling within seven games of the .500 mark — the closest the club has been since May 5.
Kremer (8-7) was masterful, striking out seven and allowing only three hits and a walk over 99 pitches. The right-hander didn’t let a single Marlins runner advance past first base until the eighth inning, finishing his outing with two emphatic strikeouts that brought the crowd of 22,213 to its feet.
The Orioles wasted no time jumping on Miami starter Edward Cabrera (3-4). Jackson Holliday ripped Cabrera’s first pitch of the game into center for a double — a key moment that set the tone — before Jordan Westburg singled him home. Westburg, who finished with three hits and three runs scored, later crossed the plate on an O’Hearn double, giving Baltimore a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
In the third, the Orioles strung together four consecutive hits. O’Hearn knocked in Westburg again with an RBI single, and Laureano followed with a run-scoring double to stretch the lead to 4-0. Laureano added another RBI single in the seventh to make it 5-0.
Miami avoided being shut out for a second straight game thanks to Otto Lopez’s two-run homer in the ninth off Baltimore’s bullpen. Still, it wasn’t enough to erase Baltimore’s comfortable cushion.
The night also marked the return to Camden Yards of NL All-Star Kyle Stowers, who was traded to Miami along with Connor Norby last July. Stowers went 1-for-3 with a walk and received polite applause from Orioles fans remembering his three partial seasons in Baltimore. Norby also finished 1-for-3.
The Orioles improved to 8-24 in games where they do not homer, highlighting the importance of timely hitting in place of power. Baltimore tallied 11 hits overall, with five different players contributing at least one.
Saturday’s matchup will feature Baltimore’s Trevor Rogers (2-0, 1.57 ERA) making his fifth start of the season — and facing Miami for the first time since being traded for Stowers and Norby. Janson Junk (3-1, 3.12 ERA) will start for the Marlins as they look to even the series.
