Saturday night Orioles game thread, at Guardians, 6:10 pm

So… that was fun! The Orioles got shut out for seven innings, gave up a grand slam, and still won. The bottom of the lineup was pivotal in that monster eighth inning: Leody Taveras had a big walk in a key situation, outfielder Weston Wilson doubled with the bases lodaed, and Jeremiah Jackson hit the game-winning Earl Weaver Special. Now hitting .317 with a .923 OPS, Jackson is making it hard to move on from him, even when the regular guys come back from the injured list.

It was a great win, although it would be awesome, I admit, if the offense could show up a little earlier (they were no-hit through eight the night before). The Orioles will have to push their runs across Gavin Williams, a 26-year-old righty who’s 2-1 so far with a 2.38 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and a 29:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in four starts. At 6’6, 250 lbs, the 2021 first-rounder is big, throws hard, and has command of multiple pitches. And he’s been even better his last three starts, with just one earned run over 17.2 innings. This is a tough test for the O’s lineup, no doubt.

Kremer comes in at 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA and 9 strikeouts, having just been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in time to slot back into the rotation. I will say I am happy to have him back. Despite his reputation for bad Aprils, his recent Norfolk stints showed him getting sharper, and while proving extremely homer-prone (3 HR allowed in five IP) he looked more like himself in his most recent outing against the Diamondbacks: the nine strikeouts were nice.

This looks to be a tough matchup, but if Kremer can keep the ball in the yard and the offense can work some walks and get Jackson or Gunnar to time up a fastball, they could scratch out a win. Crazier things have happened—and just this week!