Right-hander Dean Kremer will start Game 3 of the ALDS for the Baltimore Orioles, the club announced Monday.
The Orioles trail the Texas Rangers 2-0 in the series, having dropped the first two contests 3-2 and 11-8. Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez started Games 1 and 2, and both of the young hurlers got stuck with losses.
Baltimore is surely hoping Kremer can shift the momentum in Game 3, considering a loss would end the Orioles' season.
Kremer went 13-5 with a 4.12 ERA, 1.309 WHIP and 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 2023. He was slightly more efficient in 2022, going 8-7 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.253 WHIP and 6.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Orioles were 24-8 when the 27-year-old pitched this season. They are 13-2 in Kremer's 15 starts since July 1, as the righty owns a 3.09 ERA and a .214 batting average against in that time.
Kremer got the nod to start Game 3 ahead of the other starting pitchers who made Baltimore's playoff roster, most notably Kyle Gibson.
Gibson was the Orioles' Opening Day starter this year. The 35-year-old journeyman went 15-9 with a 4.79 ERA, 1.318 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings in 2023, and Baltimore went 20-13 when he took the mound.
Trade deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty and third-year righty Tyler Wells, meanwhile, both pitched in Game 2. Flaherty gave up three walks, two hits and one earned run in 2.0 innings of work on 46 pitches, while Wells needed just 16 pitches to get through a scoreless seventh.
First pitch for Game 3 is scheduled for 8:03 p.m. ET. Kremer will be facing off against Nathan Eovaldi, a two-time All-Star with plenty of playoff success over the years.
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