Another rough night in Boston for the Orioles

This is not the way the Orioles wanted to play to end the 2020 season. There are four games to go, but they need to clean a few things up and fast. They've lost the first two games of their series at Boston. If they get swept tomorrow, these clubs will be tied for fourth place with three to play.

A last-place finish is within reach. Just a week or two weeks ago there were playoff hopes and talk.

After last night's 8-3 loss at Fenway Park, they got smoked 9-1 tonight.

The Orioles have gone from a 20-21 record on Sept. 8 to 23-33. They have lost six of seven and 12 of their last 15. They are now 1-22 when they score three runs or fewer.

Tonight was a rough one for O's rookie right-hander Dean Kremer. After allowing three runs on eight hits combined over three starts to begin his O's career, tonight he gave up seven runs on seven hits. And got just eight outs. His ERA jumped from 1.69 to 4.82.

Kremer was knocked out during Boston's six-run third, which opened an 8-0 lead. He has yet to give up a big league home run, but tonight allowed three doubles and a triple. This time he left some pitches in the middle of the plate and they got predictably hit. While Boston's pitching has been mostly bad all year, their offense is still solid and they've scored 17 runs in the first two games of this series.

Over 2 2/3, Kremer allowed seven hits and seven runs with three walks and two strikeouts. He threw 64 pitches, 42 for strikes. He had allowed just eight hits in 16 innings in his first three games.

He also may have been dealing with a blister or some issue on a finger on his pitching hand. He also was dealing with some frustration over not getting a strike call or two from home plate umpire Andy Fletcher. You could see some frustration during Christian Arroyo's time up in the second. Arroyo would eventually walk, and Kremer seemed upset with the man in blue. But he retired the next two hitters at the top of the Boston lineup.

He had allowed two runs on three hits in the Boston first, but the roof fell in during the Red Sox third. He left with two men on and they would both score when Branden Kline allowed a bases-clearing double to Rafael Devers to make it an 8-0 game.

Lefty Bruce Zimmermann pitched very well, though, in relief in his second big league appearance. He went the final four innings for the Orioles, allowing one run on two hits with one walk, and he fanned five. Of the eight sliders he threw that Boston hitters swung at, they whiffed on five of them.

O's right fielder Austin Hays provided the only O's run when he hit a solo homer off reliever Mike Kickham in the seventh. Hays hit No. 3 as part of a 3-for-4 night. He is finishing the season strong. He has nine hits his last 19 at-bats and is 13-for-35 (.371) in 10 games since he returned from the injured list. He has raised his average from .203 to .260.

The Orioles are now 4-5 against the Red Sox and 12-24 against the American League East. They'll wrap up this series on Thursday night with right-hander Alex Cobb (1-5, 4.76 ERA) facing Boston lefty Martín Pérez (3-4, 3.88 ERA).