Dean Kremer’s 74-Pitch Outing Kept the Rangers Waiting

Dean Kremer needed 74 pitches to complete seven innings, and that modest total defined the Texas Rangers’ 6-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Minnesota got nearly the whole afternoon from its starter at a manageable cost, while Texas had to wait until the eighth inning to face someone else.

Kremer allowed three hits, one earned run and no walks. He struck out four, which is hardly a cartoonish display of overpowering pitching. That makes the performance more instructive, not less. The Rangers’ problem was not that Kremer turned every plate appearance into a strikeout. He simply limited the opportunities, kept the innings moving and gave the Twins a long runway before the bullpen entered.

The second inning showed his sharpest stretch. Jake Burger struck out on a foul tip, Ezequiel Duran was called out on strikes after a challenged pitch result was overturned, and Alejandro Osuna finished the inning with a swinging strikeout. Three batters produced three outs, and three of Kremer’s four strikeouts arrived in that frame.

The strikeouts gave Kremer an inning in which no Texas hitter even required the defense to complete an out.

The Rangers did solve him once in the third. Danny Jansen led off with a solo home run to left-center field, tying the game at 1-1. Kremer then retired Nicky Lopez on a popout, Evan Carter on a flyout and Brandon Nimmo on another flyout.

Texas got its run, but the inning ended without another baserunner. A home run is useful offense; it is also a one-batter event when nobody follows it with traffic.

That pattern continued through the middle innings. In the fourth, Wyatt Langford popped out, Corey Seager grounded out and Burger grounded out. In the fifth, Duran popped out, Osuna struck out and Jansen flew out.

Those two innings added six more outs without a baserunner, and only one was a strikeout. Texas was putting balls in play without getting anyone aboard. Kremer’s line was built as much on preventing a second or third baserunner as on missing bats.

The sixth inning offered Texas a chance to create something longer. Lopez singled, Evan Carter sacrificed him to second, and Nimmo moved him to third with a groundout. Langford then grounded out, leaving Lopez stranded. The sequence advanced the runner, but it did not threaten to tie the game: Minnesota led 5-1 by then, after two fifth-inning runs had expanded the margin.

Those runs came against Texas pitching. Walker Jenkins singled to begin the bottom of the fifth, Luke Keaschall walked, and Josh Bell walked after Kaelen Culpepper struck out. Ryan Jeffers then walked to force home Jenkins, and Kody Clemens followed with a run-scoring single that brought home Keaschall.

The Twins’ inning showed the value of reaching base repeatedly, while the Rangers finished the afternoon with no walks at all.

Kremer’s seventh was another clean passage against the Texas order. Seager flew out, Burger flew out and Duran grounded out sharply. Kremer finished after facing 23 batters, with three hits allowed and no walks. Of the Rangers’ three hits against him, none came with another Texas runner already on base. He allowed individual interruptions without letting them accumulate into a rally.

The production changed once Kremer left. Pinch-hitter Elias Díaz homered in the eighth against A.J. Minter, cutting Minnesota’s lead to 5-2. The response was immediate: Royce Lewis homered against Cody Bradford in the bottom half, restoring the four-run cushion. Texas had finally found a different pitcher and produced, but Minnesota answered before the moment could become a rally.

Seager’s ninth-inning two-run homer made the ending more interesting. Brandon Nimmo singled, Wyatt Langford popped out and Seager brought Nimmo home with the blast and the Rangers trimmed the deficit to 6-4. But Burger struck out and Duran flew out to end the game.

The late power was real, and it deserved credit. It simply arrived after Kremer had already completed the seven innings that made the comeback so expensive.

Texas finished the season at 80-82. In its last game, the offense scored three runs in two innings against Minnesota’s bullpen and one in seven against Kremer. His restraint mattered as much as his strikeouts: no walks, few baserunners, and enough pitches left to keep coming back out. The Rangers finally got to somebody. He had already finished work.

Sources

Official game data

Official game box score

Official game data

Official game data

Official game data