Orioles end road trip with another bad loss, 7-0 to Tigers; Hyde: ‘It’s been rough’

What happened? Playing without centerfielder Cedric Mullins, catcher Adley Rutschman and infielder Jordan Westburg, the Orioles managed just five hits and were swept for the first time since last July in a 7-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Mullins was out because of illness, Rutschman has a sore right hand after getting hit while blocking a pitch on Saturday night, and Westburg has a sore hamstring.

The result was their sixth loss in seven games. The Orioles are 10-17, the first time they’ve been seven games under .500 since July 4^th, 2022.

The Orioles have just 12 runs in the past seven games and were shut out for the fourth time this season.

“We had three guys hurt today, and we’re not playing the best baseball right now, and we’ve been walking guys on the mound,” manager Brandon Hyde told reporters in Detroit. “It’s been rough.”

Hyde is hoping that Mullins, Rutschman and Westburg are available on Monday, when the Orioles begin a three-game series against the New York Yankees at Camden Yards.

“That’s three good players that are not in the lineup,” he said. “Injuries do happen … We’re going to see how they all are tomorrow. Adley’s hand is pretty swollen. Westy’s got a hammy. Ced played 18 innings in center field sick yesterday and didn’t feel good today. Hopefully, they all feel good tomorrow.”

After losing a split doubleheader by scores of 4-3 and 6-2 to the Tigers on Saturday, the Orioles have the second worst record in the American League, ahead of only the Chicago White Sox.

They were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position on Sunday and 2-for-23 in the three-game series. They went 6-for-60 on their road trip to Washington and Detroit.

Dean Kremer allowed five runs on four hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings. His ERA rose to 7.04.

Grant Wolfram, who made his major league debut in Saturday night’s game, allowed two runs. Gleyber Torres had three RBIs.

Tarike Skubal, last season’s unanimous Cy Young Award winner, allowed three hits in six innings. He struck out 11 without walking a batter.

“We faced a really good starter today,” Hyde said. “It’s one of the best pitchers in baseball, the top two or three, if not number one. We created some traffic. We just didn’t get a big hit.”

Jorge Mateo, who played shortstop and was just 1-for-19, had two hits. Ramón Laureano led off and played right field. He had a single. Gunnar Henderson, who was the designated hitter, and Ramón Urias each had a hit. Gary Sánchez, who started at catcher, was hit by a pitch twice.

What’s wrong with Kremer? Kremer ended last season with a 2.25 ERA in his final four starts, but this season has gotten away from him.

“A couple of two-out hits,” Hyde said. “Other than that, he had a really good fastball today. Walks are definitely hurting us on the mound.”

Kremer walked Spencer Torkelson and Trey Sweeney in the second and Javier Baez in the fifth. They all scored.

“The two-run inning definitely came back to bite me in the butt,” he told reporters in Detroit. “Other than that, they were harmless.”

Kremer hasn’t been able to complete six innings in any of his starts.

Can the Orioles rebound? The Orioles are 7-15 this month, and if they lose two of three to the Yankees this week, they’ll have their most losses in any month since September 2021.

“Every night, box scores aren’t going in our favor,” Kremer said. “It’s tough to stay mentally engaged once things kind of start spiraling. That’s the name of the job, being able to find our way out of that and keeping things positive. We have guys in the clubhouse who are plenty positive and try and pick us up. We’re going to be OK by the end of this. It’s really hard to lose this season in April. We still have five more months. It just takes a six-, seven-game win streak and we’re back at .500.”

Urías is the team’s leading hitter with a .317 average.

“I think it’s going to take every single player on this team,” he told reporters in Detroit. “We’re the only ones that can make that turn-around, and we have to work at that.”

Urías has been with the team since 2020 when losing was the norm.

“We’re supposed to win now. It’s tough for everybody in the clubhouse,” he said.

What does it mean? The Orioles haven’t played consistently well during any stretch and with the Yankees coming for three games, it’s a good time to start.

What’s the word? “If we’re losing 7-0, the energy is going to go down. We still have to battle. It doesn’t matter what the score is. I don’t think anybody is shutting it down.”-Urías on the team’s mood.

What’s the stat of the day? Kremer had four walks in his first five starts and four on Sunday.

“I thought he threw the ball well besides the walks,” Hyde said.

The Orioles walked 19 in the series.

What’s going on in the minor leagues? Chayce McDermott pitched for the first time this season and allowed a run on a home run and walked three in 1 2/3 innings as Double-A Chesapeake lost to Altoona, 4-1. McDermott struck out three and threw 43 pitches. He’s been out with a lat injury. Alex Pham followed McDermott and gave up three runs, two unearned, on six hits in 4 2/3, struck out six and walked two.

Second baseman Vimael Machin homered and drove in three runs in Triple-A Norfolk’s 6-4 win over Memphis. Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera had three hits and drove in two. First baseman Coby Mayo had two hits.

Dylan Coleman (1-0), promoted from the Baysox, pitched 1 2/3 hitless innings.

First baseman Anderson De Los Santos drove in three runs, and designated hitter Ethan Anderson and third baseman Aron Estrada each had three hits as High-A Aberdeen beat Wilmington, 10-7.

Single-A Delmarva was 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position in its 5-3 loss to Augusta.

What’s next? The Orioles open a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Monday night at 6:35. Tomoyuki Sugano (2-1, 3.54 ERA) will face Will Warren (1-0, 4.79).

Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com