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05/05 18:39 CDT Kremer pitches 6 shutout innings and Santander hits a grand
slam to help Orioles sweep Reds
Kremer pitches 6 shutout innings and Santander hits a grand slam to help
Orioles sweep Reds
By JEFF WALLNER
Associated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) --- Dean Kremer pitched six shutout innings, Anthony Santander
hit his third career grand slam and the Baltimore Orioles completed a
three-game series sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with an 11-1 victory Sunday.
Jordan Westburg hit a two-run homer and Ryan McKenna added a solo shot for the
Orioles, who have won four straight games and six of their last seven.
Kremer (3-2) retired the first 13 batters he faced until Christian
Encarnacion-Strand singled with one out in the fifth. The Reds managed only one
hit and a walk in Kremer's six innings. He struck out six.
"I just wanted to follow suit, like our other starters," Kremer said. "Pitch to
our strengths and really attack these guys. Our pitching staff when we put it
together is really good."
Orioles starting pitchers were dominant in the three-game series. Cole Irvin
pitched six shutout innings on Friday and John Means blanked the Reds through
seven Saturday.
"We pitched really well this series," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. "Guys
see what the guy does the night before and you want to match it. Right down the
line, we've been doing that so far."
Meanwhile, the Reds' offense continues to sputter. They have scored just two
runs in their last 36 innings played in Great American Ball Park. The Reds are
batting a major-league worst .209 as a team.
"It's the nature of the game," Reds outfielder Jake Fraley said. "Their guys
are throwing really well. We're going up there and trying to give it everything
we've got. Tip your cap to those guys. They are at the top of the AL East for a
reason."
The Orioles handed Kremer an early lead with a two-out rally in the first.
After Nick Lodolo (3-1) retired the first two batters, Ryan Mountcastle doubled
and scored on Santander's single. Westburg followed with a two-run homer, his
sixth of the season, to make it 3-0.
Adley Rutschman doubled to drive in the Orioles' fourth run in the fifth.
McKenna's solo homer off Brett Suter made it 5-0 in the seventh.
"It's a major league team who's dangerous, so you definitely want to add on,"
Hyde said. "It gives the starting pitcher confidence to get a little breathing
room and go after guys."
Santander's grand slam came in the ninth off Emilio Pagan. It was his first
grand slam since Aug. 1, 2023, at Toronto.
"That's the best left-handed swing he's taken in a long time, and not just
because of the result," Hyde said. "Just how free and easy it was. Put the bat
through the baseball. Really happy for him. He's been really grinding."
It's the third series sweep this season for the Orioles, who last swept the
Reds in Baltimore in 2014. It was their first series sweep in Cincinnati.
"It was a tough series," Reds manager David Bell said. "A tough little stretch
for our team. It is going to turn around. We have good players. They do the
right thing over and over. They do things the right way and that's how you know
it will turn around."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: RHP Grayson Rodriguez (right shoulder inflammation) began a throwing
program Sunday.
Reds: 3B Jeimer Candelario (bruised left shin) was scratched from the lineup
after fouling a ball off his leg. ... OF TJ Friedl (right wrist fracture) made
his fourth rehab appearance Sunday at Triple-A Louisville. It's possible he
could return for the Arizona series, which begins Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Corbin Burnes (3-1, 2.61) starts Tuesday's series opener at
Washington.
Reds: Begin a three-game series against Arizona on Tuesday. Cincinnati had yet
to announce a starter for the opener.
---
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
