Dean Kremer carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Gunnar Henderson hit his 36th home run, and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 on Friday night, staying in first place in the AL East.
Baltimore leads the New York Yankees by half a game. The Yankees won against the Chicago Cubs earlier on Friday. The Orioles have 20 games remaining in the regular season, while the Yankees have 21.
“Coming down the stretch, every game is important,” Kremer said. “We’re just trying to win everyone.”
Kremer’s no-hit bid ended when rookie Junior Caminero led off the seventh inning with a sharp single to left field. Dylan Carlson followed with a single to right.
After Josh Lowe reached base on an error, loading the bases with no outs, manager Brandon Hyde removed Kremer with Baltimore ahead 2-0.
Yennier Cano managed the situation by striking out Jonny DeLuca and José Caballero and then getting Ben Rortvedt out on a popup.
“My adrenaline was pumping at 100 percent there,” Cano said through an interpreter. “Obviously, that was a defining moment in the game, so I was really happy to help the team right there.”
Kremer (7-9) walked three batters and struck out seven. It was his first start since August 31, when he was removed from a game after being hit on the right forearm by a line drive.
“I can still see the seams where it hit him,” Hyde said before Kremer started against the Rays.
Kremer later commented, “It hurt and it’s stiff now, but it is what it is.” He wasn’t too upset about losing the no-hitter.
“Disappointment is the wrong word,” Kremer said. “No-hitters are rare. You usually give it up in the first inning, so you never usually think about it. You just move on.”
Seranthony Domínguez got the last four outs to finish the game with three hits allowed and earned his ninth save, the eighth since he joined the Orioles in a late-July trade with the Phillies. He ended the game by getting Rortvedt to pop up with runners on second and third.
