Dean Kremer shines in rehab start, but Norfolk falls to Durham

Dean Kremer made his second rehab start look like the sharpest thing on the field Friday night at Harbor Park, striking out eight and working 6 2/3 scoreless innings for Norfolk even as the Tides fell to Durham, 4-1. Coming back from a right quad strain, the Orioles right-hander showed the kind of command and life Baltimore wanted to see, and the box score was better than the final score suggested.

Durham broke the game open late, scoring three runs in the eighth and adding another in the ninth after Kremer had already handed the ball over. Oliver Dunn delivered the swing that changed everything, drilling a two-out, three-run home run in the eighth off Norfolk reliever J. Walker. It was Dunn’s 12th homer of the season and the blow that turned a close game into a Bulls win.

For Norfolk, the loss dropped the Tides further behind in the standings, but Kremer’s outing carried far more weight than the 4-1 result. The 30-year-old right-hander was listed on MiLB’s player page with injured 15-day status, and his return to the mound offered a much clearer measure of progress than the final line from the team result. He has been part of Baltimore’s pitching picture since his MLB debut on Sept. 6, 2020, and his career ledger of 41 major league wins and 23 minor league wins shows why the Orioles are watching every rehab inning closely.

Friday’s start suggested Kremer was not just getting back on a mound, but getting back to himself. Durham stayed within reach long enough to wait for the first crack in Norfolk’s bullpen sequence, then pounced once the game shifted away from the rehabbing starter.

Norfolk entered at 28-51, Durham at 32-47, and the Bulls left with the win. Kremer left with something Baltimore values more: a clean, overpowering outing that pointed in the right direction.