Kremer allows 8 extra-base hits, Orioles have just 1 hit in 7-0 loss to Nationals

WASHINGTON- What happened? Dean Kremer’s challenging 2025 season continues, and so does the Orioles’.

Kremer allowed eight extra-base hits, an Orioles record for a starting pitcher, in 5 1/3 innings in a 7-0 loss to the Washington Nationals before 29,504 at Nationals Park on Tuesday night. Not only was Kremer hit extremely hard, but the Orioles’ offense came up empty, getting only one hit.

After Sunday’s awful 24-2 loss to Cincinnati, the Orioles had a day off and returned Tuesday with nothing positive to speak about.

The Orioles (9-13) had just one hit against left-hander Mitchell Parker in eight innings, a Cedric Mullins single in the third inning. After Mullins’ single, Parker retired 17 straight. He walked two — Mullins in the first and Jackson Holliday in the third — and struck out four.

“We did not play well,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “That is disappointing. Coming off a game we definitely want to throw away a couple days ago, offday, to come out and not take very good at-bats and not play very good baseball tonight, that was disappointing.”

Colin Pache walked Mullins and Adley Rutschman to start the ninth and was removed after Gunnar Henderson hit into a force play.

Cole Henry struck out Ryan Mountcastle and Tyler O’Neill to end the game.

After Sunday’s horrible game, perhaps there was some carryover.

“Tough to say. We’re obviously a confident group despite the slow start,” O’Neill said. “We obviously believe in ourselves and we believe in this group. Obviously, you’ve seen it the last few years, how successful the Orioles have been. It’s just a rough stretch right now. We still believe in ourselves and we’re going to go out each and every day and try our best.”

Kremer (2-3) allowed six runs on 11 hits, three singles, five doubles, a triple and two home runs. His ERA is 6.84, and the Orioles’ rotation’s ERA is 6.84.

“Every guy in there is disappointed after a loss,” Kremer said. “We always take it to heart. Things just kind of are piling up. The good ones are great, and the bad ones are not good. Things are kind of piling up, and it’s something we’re trying to work through.”

Nathaniel Lowe’s fourth homer followed James Wood’s double in the first. José Tena tripled and scored on a Kremer wild pitch. RBI singles by Luis Garcia Jr. and Kelbert Ruiz in the fifth made it 5-0, and Dylan Crews homered in the sixth.

What was the issue with the offense? Hyde has often answered this question when they’ve struggled against a good starter.

“We had a tough time squaring the ball up against Parker,” Hyde said. “I thought we were a little too aggressive early in the count. Got some quick outs. Just didn’t barrel many baseballs. Didn’t make it tough on him at all.”

What was the issue with Kremer? Kremer equaled his career high with 11 hits.

“I threw some balls in the big part of the zone that got hit in the grass,” he said. “That was one of the issues that I had today.”

Last September, Kremer had a 2.25 ERA, but in his first five starts of this season, it’s more than triple that.

“That’s something I’m also going to have to go and look at the numbers for and see if there’s any usage difference or see if it’s just location-based or having the right plan,” he said. 

“I thought Dean, when he was in the middle part of the plate, I thought they hit him hard,” Hyde said. “I thought the split was OK. The cutter to Lowe was middle part of the plate, bad pitch. Some of the other balls that were for RBIs were just in the middle part of the plate and just had a tough night.”

What does it mean? The Orioles followed their worst defeat in nearly 18 years with a punchless performance.

“We’re having a tough time letting things go,” Hyde said. “So, we’re letting at-bats kind of steamroll on us a little bit. It’s showing up on our defense at times as well. No one’s going to feel sorry for us. This is the big leagues, and you’ve got to be able to bring it every night. You’ve got to be able to turn the page.”

What’s the word? “We don’t have a ton of experience defensively, and I think some of that shows at times. Also, when guys aren’t hitting, especially as young players, sometimes the defense isn’t at their best. That’s definitely an area we need to get better at.”-Hyde on Orioles’ defense.

What’s the stat of the day? The Orioles are 1-6 against left-handed starters and are hitting just .165. O’Neill is 2-for-21 (.095) with 11 strikeouts.

“I’m a big part of that, I need to do a better job in the middle of the order, against lefties, specifically,” O’Neill said. “It’s something I’m working on. Work in progress, just like everything else and hopefully show up better tomorrow.”

What’s going on in the minor leagues? Trevor Rogers, who’s rehabbing from a dislocated left knee, will make his first start of the season for Double-A Chesapeake on Wednesday against Altoona at 11:05 a.m.

The Baysox placed right-handed pitchers Zach Fruit and Patrick Reilly on the injured list. Right-hander Braxton Bragg was promoted from High-A Aberdeen to Chesapeake.

Thaddeus Ward allowed eight runs in four innings in Triple-A Norfolk’s 8-3 loss to Memphis. Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera drove in three runs.

Third baseman Max Wagner was removed from the Baysox’s 2-0 loss to Altoona with left hamstring discomfort.

Alex Pham allowed one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts.

Chesapeake had just three hits.

Designated hitter Jake Cunningham drove in both runs for Aberdeen in the IronBirds’ 6-2 loss to Wilmington.

Aberdeen placed right-hander Daniel Federman on the injured list.

Cohen Achen allowed three runs on five hits in four innings in Single-A Delmarva’s 5-1 loss to Augusta.

What’s next? Tomoyuki Sugano (2-1, 3.43) will faces\ Trevor Williams (1-2, 5.95) on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m.

Note: Chito Martinez, the only native of Belize to play in the majors, and an Orioles outfielder for 158 games from 1991-1993, has died at 59.

Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com