Kremer leaves game after being hit on right arm (X-rays negative, Urías also hurt in 7-5 loss)

DENVER – The Orioles anticipate having Zach Eflin return from the injured list Sunday to make his fifth start. A breath of fresh air for a team that's gasping.

The rotation's gain might be nullified by losing Dean Kremer, which would be another massive blow.

Jordan Beck’s 103.1 mph line drive tonight nailed Kremer on the lower right forearm in the fourth inning, forcing him out of the game. A huge welt developed almost instantly above the wrist.

Kremer paced behind the mound in obvious pain as head athletic trainer Brian Ebel and manager Brandon Hyde raced out of the dugout. Keegan Akin replaced Kremer with the Orioles down 3-2.

The ball ricocheted to shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who threw to Jackson Holiday for the force.

Kremer missed more than a month with a right triceps strain, another hole developing in a rotation that’s scrambling to plug them.

Update: X-rays were negative for a fracture and the club says he has a "contusion."

The timing is bad for multiple reasons.

Kremer recorded three quality starts in a row before tonight. He was charged with four runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings, an inherited runner crossing the plate on Charlie Blackmon’s two-run triple off Akin that gave Colorado a 5-2 lead.

Grayson Rodriguez won’t return until mid-to-late September due to right lat/teres discomfort. Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells won’t pitch again in 2024. Trevor Rogers was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after four disappointing starts.

Rosters expand to 28 players on Sunday and Eflin is set to become the extra pitcher. More moves could be coming beyond Coby Mayo’s return.

The Rockies’ Drew Romo popped up a fastball with two outs that fell into shallow left field for a two-run double after Brendan Rodgers’ bouncer up the middle earlier in the inning that scored Brenton Doyle. Cedric Mullins reached on a bloop single and moved up on a wild pitch, but Ramón Urías and Holliday struck out and Mullins was out trying to steal third base.

There are moments in a game when it becomes apparent that a team isn’t going to get the breaks. The Orioles are trying for the win.

Santander reduced the Rockies’ lead to 3-2 in the top of the fourth inning with his 39^th homer, a two-run shot to right-center field with two outs. Ryan Feltner’s changeup traveled 437 feet at 105.1 mph off the bat.

Henderson, back in the leadoff spot, started the inning with a single but Adley Rutschman grounded into a force after a diving stop by first baseman Michael Toglia and Ryan O’Hearn lined to left. Santander made certain that the Orioles wouldn’t come up empty.

Eloy Jiménez led off the fifth with his first Orioles home run, a 441-foot shot to center field at 110.1 mph that's his longest since 2022. Feltner hit Urías on the nose with a 93.8 mph sinker, but Urías turned away in time to prevent it from being a direct hit and he stayed in the game. Ebel and assistant athletic trainer Patrick Wesley checked him.

The Orioles also are just trying to survive.

Kremer endured a 32-pitch second inning after retiring the side in order on 10 in the first. Doyle doubled and scored on the Rodgers bouncer. Nolan Jones walked with one out, Beck grounded into a force and Romo ran the count full before driving in two runs with a 70.7 mph popup in front of Colton Cowser.

Update II: The injury count reached two tonight when Urías rolled his ankle over the bag as Ezequiel Tovar stole third base in the seventh inning. Urías stayed on the ground while tossing the ball back to the infield. He finally got to his feet and limped to the dugout, and Emmanuel Rivera replaced him at third.

Doyle struck out on the play to leave runners on the corners with two outs, and Yennier Cano stranded them.

Urías is the Orioles’ hottest hitter, slashing .357/.440/.738 with a 1.178 OPS over his last 14 games before tonight. He was 0-for-2 and hit by a pitch. He also prevented Tovar from scoring after the steal by digging Rutschman’s throw out of the dirt.

Craig Kimbrel entered in the eighth inning and Beck’s single scored Jones to break a tie and send the Rockies to a 7-5 victory before an announced Coors Field crowd of 38,166.

The Orioles remain 1 ½ games behind the first-place Yankees. They’re 78-59 overall and went 13-15 this month after a 12-13 July.

Jones doubled with one out before Beck’s single. Beck raced to second base on the throw, stole third and scored on Romo’s ground ball. Henderson made a diving stop to retire Romo, but Colorado led 7-5.

Ryan O’Hearn tied the game in the fifth with a two-run single after the Orioles loaded the bases. Holliday singled and Rutschman walked before O’Hearn stepped to the plate.

Mullins reached third base against Tyler Kinley with no outs in the ninth after a walk, stolen base and wild pitch. Henderson was hit on the foot with two outs while down 0-2 in the count, but Rutschman became the third Oriole to strike out in the inning.

Burch Smith retired the side in order in the fifth. Gregory Soto did the same in the sixth, aided by a terrific backhand stop and throw by Henderson from the outfield grass, for his eighth scoreless outing in a row.

Cionel Pérez walked two batters in the seventh and left after facing the minimum three batters. Cano kept the score tied, but Kimbrel took the loss.

* Double-A Bowie outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. exited tonight’s game with left quadriceps tightness. Bradfield stole his eighth base with the Baysox after swiping 59 with High-A Aberdeen.

Rogers made his second start with Norfolk and allowed two runs and three hits in six innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. A huge improvement over his Tides debut.

Nick Anderson retired all three batters he faced and his fastball reached 97.2 mph. Daniel Johnson began the game with his 21^st home run.

Zach Fruit tossed four scoreless innings for Aberdeen and lowered his ERA to 2.97. Jake Cunningham had three hits and an RBI.

Single-A Delmarva’s Juan Rojas allowed an unearned run and struck out nine in 5 1/3 innings. Elis Cuevas hit his first home run.