Orioles avoid sweep with 34th comeback win (updated)

Dean Kremer didn’t view today’s start as some sort of revenge game. His goal was to give the Orioles a chance to win and avoid their first series sweep in 14 months. The opponent presented an opportunity to visit with friends from his former organization. Don’t read more into it.

Tyler Wells threw 40 pitches in the second inning last night and was done. Kremer threw 37 in the first and tried to rework the script.

The Orioles fell behind by two runs, answered back with four in the bottom of the first as a sudden rain shower sent fans scrambling for cover, and produced their 34^th comeback win to lead the majors. But Kremer fell one out short of qualifying for the decision.

Ramón Urías doubled twice and drove in three runs and Gunnar Henderson hit his 15^th home run in an 8-5 victory over the Dodgers before an announced crowd of 22,248 at Camden Yards. The bullpen covered the last 4 1/3 innings after Kremer was charged with five runs in 4 2/3.

The Rays lost in Texas and are percentage points behind the Orioles for first place as the teams begin a four-game series Thursday night at Tropicana Field.

"We continue to play," said manager Brandon Hyde. "We have a great attitude, I love how our guys prepare. They come to the park ready to play. Still got a long way to go, but happy with our homestand and just want to continue to play well."

Today’s game began 41 minutes late while the grounds crew worked to get the infield in playable condition following heavy rains overnight. A drying compound was applied, dirt raked, and a compact roller used during a process that lasted several hours.

Hyde and Dave Roberts and the umpires checked the field multiple times. Hyde finished his daily media session and went back outside. Into the sunshine.

The baseball gods have a wicked sense of humor. Rain fell at varying levels of intensity into the third but didn’t interrupt play. It did make the infield wet again.

Kremer was facing the Dodgers for the first time after they included him in the 2018 trade deadline package for Manny Machado, while he led the minors in strikeouts. He surrendered two more home runs to increase his total to 22, with Max Muncy’s two-run shot in the fifth reducing the lead to 7-5.

A walk left Kremer at 91 pitches and brought Hyde out of the dugout.

"The first inning, Will hit a mistake that was too much over the plate, and then I got bled for that other run," Kremer said. "Up until that last inning, I just kind of ran out of gas at the end."

Danny Coulombe allowed one hit in a season-high 2 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the victory. He struck out three batters, including Freddie Freeman and Muncy in the seventh.

"That was so impressive," Hyde said. "That was best-case scenario and it happened. There's just so many tough hitters in that lineup, and having the night we had last night, for Danny to do what he did, for me that was his performance of the year. Won us the game by keeping the score right there in those tough innings."

"My pitch count was low," Coulombe said. "I was ahead early, had some quick innings, so I knew that there was a chance I'd go back out."

Yennier Cano handled the eighth, Félix Bautista registered his 26^th save, and the Orioles (58-37) refused again to be swept. They're the eighth team in major league history with a streak of 70-plus series of multiple games without a sweep.

"I'm really glad we're not playing the Dodgers anymore," Hyde said. "That lineup is absolutely relentless."

"We're not going to give any games away," Henderson said.

"Every game's separate for us," Coulombe said. "We don't get down on ourselves if we're 0-2 in a series. I think this team just has so much fight in it, and every game it's a battle for the other team."

Freeman worked a 10-pitch walk with one out in the first and Muncy saw 10 before grounding out. Will Smith doubled to give Los Angeles the lead, David Peralta followed with an RBI single, and Jason Heyward walked to keep Kremer on the mound.

The bullpen lacked a true long man this afternoon after Cole Irvin worked four innings last night. Logan Gillaspie was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk, but he hadn’t gone more than two innings in an appearance since May 27.

Kremer responded by retiring the Dodgers in order on 11 pitches in the second and 10 in the third, with Urías backhanding Smith’s bouncer behind the bag and throwing him out.

James Outman homered with two outs in the fourth after Kremer retired nine in a row – the first left-handed hitter to clear the left field wall since its move back last year.

Such a weird day.

Austin Barnes’ fly ball to left in the fifth died on the track, but Muncy batted after a double play call was overturned and launched a full-count changeup 431 feet over the center field fence.

For the third time, the Orioles answered back in the bottom half of the inning, with Henderson’s 431-foot homer to center off Julio Urías giving them an 8-5 lead. Henderson finally had his first career homer against a lefty in 102 plate appearances. And it was the longest left-on-left homer by an Orioles hitter since Dwight Smith Jr. drove a ball 442 feet off the Giants' Drew Pomeranz on May 31, 2019.

A really weird day.

"You see him just getting more comfortable against left-handed pitching," Hyde said. "He's staying on the ball a lot better. Just a young player getting more at-bats in the big leagues. That's a tough left-hander he took deep, too. He's got huge power, he's got a ton of ability. Now, he just needs at-bats."

The first left-on-left deep fly wasn't on Henderson's mind as he rounded the bases.

"Hopefully, it won't be the last one," he said, smiling. "Been feeling really comfortable against them and I know it's just a matter of time, just being able to see them consistently. Just get out and try to help the team win."

Urías couldn’t keep his early lead. Aaron Hicks and Jordan Westburg produced run-scoring singles with one out in the first, after Anthony Santander walked and Ryan Mountcastle singled. Ramón Urías doubled to right field to move the Orioles ahead 4-2 in a 29-pitch inning.

Urías was batting .178 with a .510 OPS against left-handers before today.

Heyward made a sliding catch in right field to rob James McCann and prevent Urías from scoring.

Jordan Westburg doubled with two outs in the third, giving him four hits in less than 24 hours, and Henderson walked to bring Urías to the plate again. He lined a slurve down the left field line for a run-scoring double, and Julio Urías’ wild pitch increased the lead to 6-2.

The sky was blue again, matching the Dodgers’ colors and mood.

"He's just such a solid defender," Hyde said of Urías. "Just a really solid player and got a couple huge hits for us today."

Jorge Mateo led off the bottom of the fourth with a double and his 23^rd stolen base, and he scored on Austin Hays’ fly ball.

Julio Urías allowed a season-high eight runs in five innings. Kremer was vying for his 11th win, which would have tied five other starters for the major league lead.

The team win mattered most to him. And facing the Dodgers? Wasn't a big deal.

"This is my first time against the NL West," he said. "It's just slightly different."

So are the American League East standings. The Orioles have two fewer losses and wins than the Rays. They appear first.

"It's huge," Kremer said. "We're out here still having fun. Ups and downs. But this is a very competitive ballclub all the way around - pitching, hitting, defense. Been having a lot of fun."

"It's gonna be a fun series," Coulombe said. "This is what you want and this is what baseball wants is just two really good teams, and it's going to be some fun games."

"We're just going to go out there and do our thing," Henderson said, "and know it will put us in a good position."

* The Orioles have signed 17 of their draft picks, including the following:

Pitcher Kiefer Lord, 86^th overall
Outfielder Tavian Josenberger, 100^th overall
Pitcher Levi Wells, 118^th overall
Outfielder Jake Cunningham, 154^th overall
Pitcher Jacob Cravey, 181^st overall
Pitcher Teddy Sharkey, 211^th overall
Pitcher Braxton Bragg, 241^st overall
Pitcher Zach Fruit, 271^st overall
Outfielder Matthew Etzel, 301^st overall
Pitcher Nestor German, 331^st overall
Pitcher Blake Money, 361^st overall
Pitcher Riley Cooper, 391^st overall
Catcher Cole Urman, 481^st overall
Pitcher Zane Barnhart, 511^th overall
Infielder Jalen Vasquez, 601^st overall

* Ryan McKenna hit his second home run today with Triple-A Norfolk in an 11-10 loss in Gwinnett. Heston Kjerstad and Coby Mayo had three hits and Connor Norby finished with two. Mayo and César Prieto drove in three runs and Kjerstad accounted for two.

The Tides scored four runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, on two-run doubles by Mayo and Prieto.

Justin Armbruester started and allowed three runs and four hits with five walks in 1 2/3 innings. Noah Denoyer followed and allowed five runs and five hits with three walks in 3 1/3.