This Orioles starter has been better than you think after slow start

Dean Kremer's season got off to a tumultuous start.

In his six starts in March and April, the right-hander's ERA was all the way up at 6.75. Included in those six starts were four starts with at least five earned runs allowed, six total long balls, and no outings in which he completed six innings. But given Kremer's track record, that start to the season wasn't entirely surprising.

In fact, Kremer has been a notoriously slow starter throughout his career. In 22 career games in March and April, Kremer has a 6.24 ERA, allowing almost double the earned runs of any other month.

Think back to 2023, a season in which the Orioles won over 100 games. Kremer started that season off poorly, too, with an ERA of 6.67 in six games, not far off from his stat line this year. The stark difference, however, is that two seasons ago, the Orioles ended April with a 19-9 record. As such, when Kremer posted a 2.45 ERA in May, his slow start was an afterthought. This year, though, the Orioles ended April with a 12-18 record. And despite a 2.72 ERA in May, Kremer's slow start was one of many that contributed to more losses than wins.

Since that rocky start to the campaign, however, Kremer has been outstanding. In 11 games since the calendary flipped to May, the right-hander has a 2.98 ERA with a WHIP just over 1.150. He's allowed home runs in just three of those 11 contests, and has completed at least six innings five times. He's had just one start in which he didn't work into the sixth inning.

Orioles' Dean Kremer has shaken off slow start under the spotlight

While a 4.28 career ERA isn't incredibly flashy, Kremer has arguably been the most reliable member of the O's rotation for the past few seasons. The veteran is on pace to start at least 20 games and toss over 120 innings for the fourth consecutive season, a feat that should get even more praise for an oft-injured Orioles rotation.

Kremer is capable of tossing some gems, too. Dating back to last season, the right-hander has five starts in which he has tossed at least six scoreless innings.

He's not the only member of the rotation turning things around either. Since May 1, Charlie Morton has an ERA of just 3.38. And, of course, who can forget about Trevor Rogers' outstanding 2.05 ERA since his promotion to the big leagues?

The turnarounds from these three Orioles starters haven't resulted in much better results in the win column just yet. But arms like Kremer are helping to push Baltimore back on track.