Westburg drives in 5, Basallo gets 2-run single in debut, Kremer deals in Orioles’ 12-0 win over Astros

What happened? In his major league debut, Samuel Basallo had a two-run single in four at-bats and was robbed of a three-run home run in the Orioles’ 12-0 win over the Houston Astros.

Jordan Westburg had four hits, drove in a career-high five runs and hit a three-run home run. Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman each drove in two runs.

Besides Basallo, Henderson had a grand slam taken away. Houston rightfielder Jesús Sánchez made similar leaping catches above the right-field wall to deny Basallo and Henderson home runs.

Basallo was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat, hit into a double play and fouled out to third base before his near home run in his first four plate appearances.

“Bummed for him on the home run,” interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters in Houston. “Also an opportunity to learn how he handles adversity. It’s a young kid. He handled it great.”

His first major league hit was part of a five-run Orioles’ eighth inning.

This weekend, rookie starter Brandon Young threw 7 2/3 perfect innings, Basallo and Dylan Beavers, the team’s top two offensive prospects, played their first major league games.

“This is the future. This is what the fans have been screaming for,” Westburg said on the postgame TV show. “It’s exciting to come to the clubhouse every day and see some new faces who’ve worked their whole lives to get here.”

Mansolino has noticed it, too.

“There’s a lot of energy when you walk into the room,” he said. “We do not want our young players to play in a losing environment. We might not win every game, but we have to play to win the game. We want these kids to understand that playing to win the game is very different from trying to go out there and put up your numbers.”

Oriole starter Dean Kremer allowed three hits in seven innings, striking out seven and walking one, throwing a career-high 114 pitches. It was the sixth shutout thrown by the Orioles.

“It’s awesome having the feeling that the manager and the pitching coaches have your back and say you have a longer leash than you think,” Kremer told reporters in Houston.

“A lot of great futures for a lot of these guys,” he said about the Orioles’ young lineup. “A lot of them can really swing it.”

Kremer is 4-0 with a 1.47 ERA in five starts against the Astros.

Rightfielder Jeremiah Jackson had three hits.

The Orioles (57-67) took two of three from Houston (69-55). They’ve won four of five.

“We’re playing good right now,” Mansolino said. “We’ve played well for a while now.”

Catcher Maverick Handley, who was on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right wrist, saw his rehab assignment end and was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

What does it mean? Adding Basallo and Beavers the last two days has made the lineup much stronger and will make the final six weeks of the season more enjoyable and instructive to watch.

What’s the stat of the day? Basallo became the first Oriole in team history to be hit by a pitch in his first major league at-bat. He became the 62^nd player used this season, tying a team record set in 2021.

What’s the word? “They’ve been carrying us. The offense has been slow some games. They’ve kept us in games even when the offense hasn’t been scoring runs. That’s been huge.”-Westburg on the Orioles’ starting pitchers.

What’s going on in the minor leagues? In his Double-A debut, Michael Forret allowed one unearned run on two hits in six innings, striking out seven as Chesapeake beat Erie, 6-1.

Austin Overn homered twice and Aron Estrada also homered.

High-A Aberdeen was held to one hit in a 1-0 loss to Hudson Valley.

First-round draft choice Wehiwa Aloy drove in two runs in Single-A Delmarva’s 5-4 loss to Lynchburg.

What’s next? The Orioles open a two-game series at Boston on Monday night. Trevor Rogers (5-2, 1.43) will face Dustin May (7-8, 4.67) at Fenway Park.

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