O's game blog: Means and Kremer pitch in doubleheader

After a rainout last night, which followed the O's getting swept by Boston over the weekend, the Orioles (4-5) open a four-game series today against the Seattle Mariners (5-4). The clubs will play a single-admission doubleheader consisting of a pair of seven-inning games beginning at 4:05 p.m.

The Orioles were outscored 27-16 versus Boston after they held the Red Sox to five runs in their series-opening sweep at Fenway Park.

After the Orioles lost to Boston 14-9 on Sunday, their team ERA jumped from 4.07 to 5.05. That ranks 12th in the American League and Seattle is 13th at 5.27.

Starter Jorge López gave up seven runs in four-plus innings and O's starters have gone 4 2/3 innings or less five times. O's pitching has allowed 10 or more hits in five consecutive games.

The Baltimore offense has produced two homers in four straight games after homering just once in the season's first five games.

Center fielder Cedric Mullins has begun his season with 17 hits in 37 at-bats (.459). He's hit safely in each of the O's first nine games. Mullins also hit safely in four straight games to close out the 2020 season and combined has hit safely in 13 straight games, which is the longest active streak in the majors.

Mullins' nine-game hitting streak to begin the season is the longest by an Oriole since Manny Machado hit in 16 straight to start the 2016 season. The club record is 17 straight by Davey Johnson in 1971. There have been 15 double-digit hitting streaks to begin a season in O's history. Mullins has led off each game this season, and has gone 5-for-9 in his first at-bats of the game, plus he is 10-for-17 when leading off any inning. Mullins is batting .545 (6-for-11) against lefty pitching.

Lefty John Means (1-0, 0.77 ERA), the Orioles' opening day starter, gets the start in Game 1 for Baltimore. Means has thrown 11 2/3 innings in his two outings, allowing just one run and eight hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.

Means is the first O's pitcher since Hall of Famer Jim Palmer to allow one run or less for six straight starts. Palmer holds the team record at eight such games in a row. Means has allowed one or fewer in each of his last six starts, since last Sept. 8. Palmer did that for six starts in a row from May 20 to June 10, 1978.

Means' current run is tied for second-best in club history with right-hander Tom Phoebus, from June 28 to July 21, 1968, and with right-hander Hoyt Wilhelm, from Sept. 20, 1958 to May 2, 1959.

During this run of outstanding pitching, Means is 3-1 with a 1.27 ERA. Over 35 1/3 innings in those starts, he has allowed five earned runs on 20 hits with five walks and 39 strikeouts.

Means was the winning pitcher in his one career start against Seattle on Sept. 22, 2019. He gave up one run and seven hits over seven innings and 104 pitches.

Left-hander Justus Sheffield (0-1, 7.20 ERA) will make his second start for Seattle in the opener. He was the losing pitcher last Monday versus the Chicago White Sox. He gave up eight hits and six runs (four earned), throwing 92 pitches over five innings. He didn't face a single lefty batter in that game and right-handers hit .348 (8-for-23) against him.

Last season for the Mariners, he went 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.301 WHIP. He averaged 3.3 walks per nine innings and 7.8 strikeouts, and yielded just two homers over 55 1/3 innings. He led AL rookies with six quality starts.

O's right-hander Dean Kremer (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will make his second start of the season in the nightcap. He took the loss last Tuesday in New York against the Yankees. Over three-plus innings, he gave up five hits and three runs with four walks and five strikeouts. Kremer threw 85 pitches, 51 for strikes. His fastball averaged 92.4 mph, per Statcast, and topped at 95.5 mph that night.

Seattle's Game 2 starter is left-hander Nick Margevicius (0-1, 7.71 ERA). He has pitched twice in relief this season, allowing four hits and four runs over 4 2/3 innings. Lefty batters have hit .200 (1-for-5) against him with a homer. Righty batters have hit .214 (3-for-14) with one homer.

The Orioles have not played Seattle since Sept. 22, 2019. They went a combined 4-10 versus the Mariners in 2018 and 2019. The Orioles are 9-20 against Seattle in the last 29 games between the clubs.

The Orioles played four doubleheaders last season, and went 1-7 in the eight games, including being swept in each of their last two. Those were on Sept. 17 against Tampa Bay and Sept. 4 versus the New York Yankees.