DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The atmosphere at TD Ballpark on Wednesday didn’t rival that of the World Baseball Classic at Miami’s loanDepot park, but the task facing Dean Kremer -- trying to tame a loaded Blue Jays lineup -- was just as daunting.
Kremer gave up solo home runs to Bo Bichette and Daulton Varsho, holding the rest of Toronto’s lineup in check in a 2-1 Orioles loss.
“I think it definitely shows you what’s more realistic of what the season is like, for sure,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “When you're facing these guys and they’re playing seven or eight innings … you definitely get a better feel for how your pitchers and everybody else kind of reacts to that.”
Kremer and the Orioles will see plenty of the Blue Jays as they navigate their way through a tough American League East. Just as Baltimore will try to build upon its 83-win season, so will Kremer, who posted a 3.23 ERA in 22 games (21 starts), dropping that figure by more than four runs from his spotty 2021 campaign.
“With him, it's really been about confidence in the strike zone,” Hyde said of Kremer. “He has four pitches and he's just developed all four of them; they're a little bit better and he's more aggressive in the strike zone. That was the key for him the second half of last year.”
Kremer pitched for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, throwing four scoreless innings in a 3-1 win over Nicaragua to open Israel’s play in Pool D on March 12 in Miami.
Israel didn’t advance to the next round, but Hyde believes that pitching in that electric Classic atmosphere will help the 27-year-old -- as well as teammates Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander, who played for the United States and Venezuela, respectively -- in the months and years ahead.
“What a great experience for them to pitch in that sort of postseason or bigger environment,” Hyde said. “For three guys that have never been in the postseason before to be able to play in front of 40-something thousand people with things on the line, I think it's just going to really benefit them in their career going forward.”
An oblique injury delayed Kremer’s 2022 debut until June 5, and while he was good upon his return, he was especially strong down the stretch, producing a 2.76 ERA in his final 10 appearances (nine starts) to gain momentum heading into '23.
“I’m really impressed with the progress he's made the last couple years and the second half he had last year,” Hyde said. “He’s showing huge improvement, so I love where he is right now.”
Bichette’s one-out homer in the first came on an 0-1 slider that caught too much of the plate, while Varsho’s leadoff blast in the fifth came on a 3-2 cutter, the eighth pitch of the at-bat.
Aside from the pair of solo shots, Kremer retired 14 of the other 16 Blue Jays he faced, yielding only a bloop single to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first and a two-out walk to Matt Chapman in the second. Kremer threw 67 pitches (44 strikes) during his five scheduled innings, then he went down to the bullpen to throw some additional pitches as he continues to build his arm up.
“I just thought he made a couple mistakes and that was it,” Hyde said. “He threw the ball really well, had all the pitches going. … Besides [the home runs], they didn’t do much against him. I’m happy with his start.”
Kremer has now allowed four home runs in his past two starts. In fact, all five runs he has allowed in his 14 Grapefruit League innings have come on solo homers.
“Just mistakes that are getting hit; middle-middle,” Kremer said. “It doesn't matter where you go or who you are, if you make a mistake middle-middle, guys will hit it, especially in the big leagues. Not too much concern.”
Kremer figures to slot into the rotation for the fourth game of the regular season, meaning he should make one more spring start before the Orioles break camp.
“Every time I go out there is some sort of learning experience, whether it be 2021 where I was not very good and then '22 where I was better,” Kremer said. “Every time I go out there I try to, not figure something out, but advance my knowledge, advance in the game and pitch. I'm trying to play this game for as long as I can.”