Orioles beat Mariners, 4-1, as Ryan O'Hearn bolsters All-Star case, Dean Kremer stars in return

SEATTLE — Ryan O’Hearn is just happy to be considered for the All-Star Game, whether or not he was voted to start it.

The Orioles slugger — a castoff from Kansas City who has revived his career with Baltimore — was banished to the Royals’ bench a few years ago and designated for assignment by them 18 months ago. It appeared O’Hearn would spend the rest of his baseball days as a fringe major leaguer before his ascendance with the Orioles last year that he’s maintained this season.

“It seemed unattainable for a long time,” O’Hearn said last week.

But if O’Hearn was angry about losing the fan vote to serve as the American League’s starting designated hitter at the Midsummer Classic, he sure made a point Wednesday.

O’Hearn bolstered his case to be an All-Star reserve in the Orioles’ 4-1 win over the Mariners, driving in three of Baltimore’s runs and going 2-for-3 at the plate. After losing the vote to the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez earlier in the day, O’Hearn lined a two-run double in the third inning to give the Orioles an early lead and extended it with a solo shot in the fifth to back starting pitcher Dean Kremer.

In his first start since returning from the injured list, Kremer followed up Grayson Rodriguez’s 6 1/3 scoreless innings Tuesday with five clean frames of his own.

The right-hander missed six weeks with a triceps strain, but it didn’t look like it as he struck out eight batters and allowed only two hits and two walks. Kremer has been a critical part of Baltimore’s rotation the past three seasons, and his return is a welcome sight for a starting corps that’s much weaker than when he left it in late May.

The Orioles’ rotation has lost three members to season-ending elbow injuries — Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells — and has seen early season standouts Albert Suárez and Cole Irvin struggle in recent weeks. But with ace Corbin Burnes as Baltimore’s No. 1, Rodriguez as its No. 2 and now Kremer at No. 3, the group is better positioned to maintain its standing as one of the majors’ best rotations.

Kremer, who lowered his ERA to 3.93, improved the Orioles rotation’s mark to an American League-best 3.32.

O’Hearn wasn’t the only Oriole to fall short of starting the All-Star Game to come through. After O’Hearn’s double in the third, Ryan Mountcastle smoked an RBI single to put Baltimore up 3-0. Mountcastle, who lost the vote at first base to Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., returned to the Orioles’ lineup after sitting the previous three games with an illness.

Kremer threw only 83 pitches as he built up upon his return, but his bullpen mostly had him covered. Keegan Akin allowed a solo homer to Cal Raleigh, who came feet away from tying Tuesday’s game with a mammoth blast in the ninth, for the Mariners’ first and only run so far this series. Jacob Webb, Cionel Pérez and Craig Kimbrel followed to throw 3 1/3 scoreless to slam the door.

Kimbrel retired the side in order in the ninth for his second save in as many days. The nine-time All-Star has 21 this season — two away from the number he recovered for the Philadelphia Phillies last year — with a sparkling 2.23 ERA. The save is the 438th of his distinguished career, moving into sole possession of fourth on MLB’s all-time saves list. He passed Francisco Rodríguez and is 40 behind Lee Smith, two closers who also had brief stints with the Orioles.

Baltimore is 55-31 and extends its lead atop the AL East to two games over the New York Yankees, who lost Wednesday. The Orioles have won six of their past seven games.