Kremer surrenders two home runs and Orioles can't erase mistakes in 5-3 loss (updated)

Dean Kremer’s first pitch of tonight’s game sailed 397 feet to right field for a leadoff home run. Gunnar Henderson began the bottom of the first inning by flying out and slamming his bat to the ground in anger.

Immediate signs of an Orioles’ turnaround weren’t detected. They’d flicker over the course of the night and burn out.

A lead in the third inning and subsequent rallies provided false hope. Walk-up music reverted back to the original playlist, but the Orioles maintained their post-break ways with a 5-3 loss to the Giants before an announced crowd of 23,856 at Camden Yards.

Kremer allowed four earned runs and five total in six innings, the victim of some tough luck, and the Orioles fell to 84-68 with their fifth loss in six games, eighth in 10 and ninth in 12. They’ve gone 26-30 in the second half but maintain a 2 1/2 game lead for the first wild card.

The Orioles are only 16 games above .500 for the first time since May 31. They're 19-26 against the National League.

The first two batters reached in the seventh against reliever Sean Hjelle and the Orioles loaded the bases with two outs after a pitch grazed Heston Kjerstad’s foot. Colton Cowser flied to left field and the Giants stayed in front.

"I thought the encouraging thing with tonight’s game a little bit is that I thought our at-bats were better," said manager Brandon Hyde. "I thought we created more traffic, I thought we walked. Now we’re just waiting for some breaks offensively and a chopper to get through, something off the label to fall onto the outfield grass."

Mike Yastrzemski belted his second leadoff homer in two nights, doing his damage in three total pitches. He barreled Kremer’s 92.7 mph fastball.

Kremer carried a 2-1 lead into the fourth and the Giants loaded the bases with no outs on three singles, the last a bunt by Tyler Fitzgerald. Kremer fielded Grant McCray’s roller and flipped to catcher James McCann, whose foot was planted in front of the plate as Heliot Ramos slid across. 

Casey Schmitt followed the error with a ground ball into left field that scored two runs. A double play restored order, but the Orioles trailed again.

“As a catcher, you’re feeling, the plate’s ground level, so you’re not really feeling it, especially with spikes," Hyde said. "And I think that he came out a little bit, maybe a half inch too far, unfortunately, and it’s just unfortunate.”

Kremer struck out the side in the fifth, but Michael Conforto lined a cutter onto the flag count at 111.6 mph leading off the sixth.

"I thought he had good stuff, gave up some singles, the bunt hurt, force play at the plate," Hyde said. "It was just kind of bad luck inning for him there."

Hyde removed Kremer after 86 pitches. The right-hander didn’t walk a batter and stuck out seven.

"The saying is, 'Solo's don't kill you,'" Kremer said. "If I'm giving up homers and they're just solos, so be it. And then the big inning, I didn't do a good enough job of limiting damage. Balls got put in a play a little bit too hard and just out of the reach of some fielders.

"They were swinging. If it was in the zone, they were swinging. They weren't taking very many pitches that were in the zone. I don't know how many called strikes I had versus swinging strikes or foul balls or whatever. But they're looking to put the ball in play, that's their game."

Emmanuel Rivera drew a leadoff walk against rookie Hayden Birdsong in the third, Jackson Holliday lined a single into right field at 102.9 mph, and McCann doubled to right field to tie the game. Holliday was 5-for-37 this month. Yastrzemski came close to robbing McCann with a leaping attempt.

Holliday scored the go-ahead run on Cedric Mullin’s groundout, and that was it. A potentially big inning was downsized.

Rivera flied to the edge of the left field track to strand Cowser in the fourth. Cowser walked with two outs in the sixth, the last batter Birdsong faced, and Ryan O’Hearn greeted Erik Miller with an RBI double that reduced the lead to 5-3.

Schmitt made a diving stop along the third base line to hold Rivera to an infield hit and prevent O’Hearn from scoring. Austin Slater pinch-hit for Jackson and struck out.

"That’s a tough lefty. Jackson’s had a tough time against lefties this year," Hyde said.

The Orioles went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

"I felt like we had good at-bats all night," Cowser said. "I just think we’re missing that big hit right now. I felt like we strung together some good ones throughout the night and I think the mindset going forward is just to get it to the next guy.”

The Orioles have lost four series in a row and will try to avoid the sweep Thursday afternoon. Zach Eflin opposes Logan Webb.

“We lost our mojo,” McCann said this afternoon. “We as a team have done a lot of different things to try to switch it up. One of the big things that I try to preach is positivity. It’s really hard when things aren’t going your way, and being positive during a negative time. We don’t need the fans or the media or the TV or whatever to tell us it’s not going right. We know it’s not going right, and so finding a way to stay positive, finding a way to find silver linings. Because all that matters in the end of the day is if you’re hot in October, and we still have 11 games, 12 games, whatever it is to get rolling here in the end of the season and take that into October.”

McCann was in lots of pain in the ninth inning after being stuck on the right hand and thigh by a foul ball. Head athletic trainer Brian Ebel checked on McCann, who stayed in the game.

He’s been through a lot worse.

So have the Orioles, but that was the rebuild.

“I think in this game it’s hard to not let your emotions get the best of you sometimes, but I think at this level you kind of have to try to filter yourself and allow yourself to feel those things, but then flush it right away," Cowser said. "We’re all humans, so it’s natural to have certain responses to certain situations. I think that the important thing is being able to flush those emotions and moving on and taking a pitch at a time.

"I think momentum is something that just kind of happens. You can’t really force it because that’s when guys start pressing and you struggle even more. I think this last month or so, I think you’ve kind of seen guys try to force it and I think it’s just something that comes natural. I have all the faith in the world in this team, and just kind of looking forward to when we do get it going.”

Can the Orioles turn in around?

"I hope so," Kremer said. "I think a lot of guys are starting to feel themselves out. Guys are getting a little bit more confidence at the plate, with the glove, with the ball in their hand. We're doing our best."

* Danny Coulombe faced three batters in Game 1 of Triple-A Norfolk’s doubleheader, threw eight pitches in two-thirds of an inning and was replaced after allowing a hit and striking out a batter. The short outing was planned and not due to any physical issues.

Coulombe was making his third rehab appearance.

Chayce McDermott tossed three scoreless and hitless innings in his return from a right shoulder injury. He walked three and struck out five. J.D. Davis delivered a walk-off single in the seventh.

The Tigers are listing right-hander Reese Olson as Saturday’s starter against the Orioles. Their other two spots are TBA.