Dean Kremer torments former team as Twins rout Orioles

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Aug 10, 2026

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins won the Dean Kremer trade.

OK, sure, the trade deadline was only seven days ago, but Kremer did his best to give the Baltimore Orioles a case of seller’s regret Monday.

Kremer, making his second start with the Twins, pitched a seven-inning gem during a 9-5 victory over his former team at Target Field to kick off a nine-game homestand. Kremer gave up one hit and one run while striking out seven.

The Twins tallied nine hits and seven runs during their last two trips to the plate. Josh Bell drilled a three-run homer off Orioles lefty Grant Wolfram, providing plenty of separation after Kremer completed his final inning on the mound.

There was some lighthearted banter from Kremer, smiling with his glove over his face as he said something to Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser, who jogged past him after flying out to the warning track. But he put on a pitching clinic.

Kremer allowed only two of his 22 batters to reach base. He used four different pitch types — splitter, cutter, four-seam fastball and sinker — to generate his strikeouts. He retired his first nine batters, and then his final 10 batters. His pitch count by inning was 12, 11, 12, 20, 16, 7 and 11.

The Twins pulled away with a five-run seventh inning, scoring all those runs before recording an out. After an infield single and a bunt that Orioles catcher Carlos Narváez threw away for an error, Ryan Jeffers bounced a two-run single through the left side of the infield.

Two batters later, after the Orioles had lefty Grant Wolfram replace right-hander Rico Garcia, Bell belted a three-run homer into the Orioles bullpen beyond the left-center wall for a 7-1 lead. It was Bell’s 16th home run of the season, and his 71 RBI are tied for the sixth most in the American League.

The Twins tallied two more runs in the eighth inning. Martin started a one-out rally with a single. Jeffers followed with an RBI double, and Royce Lewis hit an RBI single.

Trading for Kremer, the Twins had to part with 18-year-old outfielder Jhomnardo Reyes, Baseball America’s No. 12 prospect in the club’s farm system. Kremer, who isn’t eligible to become a free agent until after the 2027 season, has made quite the first impression.

Kremer has permitted two runs and four hits in his first 12 innings (1.50 ERA) since joining his new team. He fooled right-handed hitters with his cutter and lefty batters with his splitter.

The Orioles scored a run in the fourth inning without a ball leaving the infield. Gunnar Henderson drew a leadoff seven-pitch walk, and he advanced to second on a groundout. Jackson Holliday reached on an infield single, a 25-foot dribbler in front of the plate.

With runners on the corners and one out, Kremer struck out Tyler O’Neill while Holliday and Henderson conducted a double steal play. After Jeffers, the Twins catcher, rifled a throw to second, Holliday purposefully stopped running to create a rundown as Henderson sprinted to the plate, a play the Twins have run several times throughout the season.

Henderson scored easily, without a throw home, as Lewis ran to tag out Holliday.

The Twins responded with a go-ahead run in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Luke Keaschall was hit by a pitch, and Brooks Lee followed with a hustle double to center. Rookie shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, who struck out four times, drove in Keaschall with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Martin, who produced the first four-hit game of his career, staked the Twins to a 1-0 lead in the third inning, lifting a 94-mph fastball from Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers over the left-field fence for his third home run of the season.

Baltimore scored four runs in the final two innings, two runs against reliever Travis Adams and two versus Taylor Rogers.

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