For half an hour six days ago, it appeared Dean Kremer’s season might be over.

The Orioles pitcher was struck on the forearm with a 103.1 mph line drive. The ball was hit so hard it ricocheted off Kremer’s arm and went all the way to Gunnar Henderson at shortstop. Within seconds, a large welt appeared, forcing him out of the game and raising concern about whether he suffered a fracture.

The team quickly revealed it was just a bruise — a nasty one at that. It was assumed he would either land on the injured list or at the very least miss his next start.

Somehow, Kremer didn’t need any extra time off, showing up to Camden Yards on Friday night for his regularly scheduled start with the seams from the baseball still visible on his forearm. And he continued defying the odds by flirting with a no-hitter through six innings.

Kremer’s stellar and gutsy performance — one of the best starts by an Oriole this season — propelled Baltimore to a 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson each drove in a run, while Yennier Cano’s heroics in escaping a bases-loaded jam protected Kremer’s gem and Seranthony Domínguez’s tight-rope pitching in the ninth saved the game.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Saturday after Kremer suffered the bruise that he “would be surprised” if the right-hander were able to make his next start. Hyde said before Friday’s game that he “jumped the gun” on that determination.

“Our medical staff and Dean did an amazing job of treating that thing this week,” Hyde said. “He’s a quick healer. And he’s unbelievably tough. But he wants the ball.”

Kremer took it and twirled the best start of his up-and-down season. He scattered three walks across the first six no-hit innings, barely allowing any hard contact and striking out seven.

“He’s come so far since four or five years ago, matured so much as a player,” Hyde said about Kremer, who debuted in 2020 and struggled mightily in 2021. “I give him a ton of credit. A lot of guys would have asked for a few more days or sat this one out. … But he was determined from about that second or third day after he got back off the trip.”

The win keeps Baltimore (82-60) in sole possession of first place in the American League East, half a game ahead of the New York Yankees (81-60), who defeated the Chicago Cubs earlier in the day.

Kremer is the second Orioles starting pitcher to carry a no-hit bid into the seventh inning this season after Kyle Bradish, Kremer’s best friend on the team, did so May 26 against the Chicago White Sox. But how, exactly, was the 28-year-old able to overcome the swelling (and the pain) to pitch Friday?

“Yeah, it hurt,” he said, shrugging as if the pain was insignificant. “But what are you gonna do? It hurt and it’s stiff now, but it is what it is.”

Kremer worked with catcher Adley Rutschman to generate 17 swings-and-misses, one shy of his career high. Ten came on his fastballs (four-seamer and cutter), while five others were against his splitter — a new grip this season that’s helped power Kremer in the second half.

“Rutsch, myself and the pitching staff had a good plan and we were trying to keep them off-balance for the most part and executed it as best as we could,” Kremer said.

Kremer (7-9) has delivered a quality start in four of his past five outings — the lone poor one when he exited after taking the liner off his arm. He’s allowed a total of five runs across 24 innings in those four starts, furthering his standing as a pitcher who improves in the second half. Last year, Kremer’s excellent second half — and clutch starts in both clinch wins — propelled the Orioles to their first AL East title in nearly a decade.

Rays starter Shane Baz carried a no-no into the fourth, but Henderson broke it up with a leadoff single. An inning later, Holliday drove home Colton Cowser, who walked to lead off the frame, with a sacrifice fly. An inning after that, Henderson blasted a solo homer to right field — the superstar shortstop’s 36th of the season — with Cal Ripken Jr. in attendance having served as “Iron Splash” earlier in the game. Henderson passed Ripken on Wednesday for the most homers by an Orioles shortstop in a single season, and now the 23-year-old is making a push for 40.

Top prospect Junior Caminero broke up Kremer’s no-hit bid to open the seventh, and two more Rays reached on a single and an error by Henderson to chase the Orioles starter. Kremer said he wasn’t disappointed when Caminero’s single landed in the outfield. He knows how rare no-hitters are.

“Usually get rid of them in the first,” he quipped, “so never have to think about them.”

Cano then doubled as a magician to escape Kremer’s jam, striking out Jonny DeLuca and José Caballero before getting Ben Rortvedt to pop out. As the ball hung in the air before landing in third baseman Emmanuel Rivera’s glove, the announced 25,439 fans in attendance got to their feet to give Cano a standing ovation.

“Adrenaline was pumping at 100% there,” Cano said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Obviously was a really defining moment of the game, so I was really happy to help the team right there and help us get the win.”

Left-hander Cionel Pérez got two outs in the eighth, and Domínguez stranded two runners in the ninth for a four-out save — his eighth as the Orioles’ new closer.

The shutout victory is the Orioles’ ninth this season and second this week as the club has opened September 4-1 after suffering losing months in July and August. With 20 games remaining and a razor-thin lead over the Yankees, the Orioles know they need more games like Friday’s and performances like Kremer’s to defend their division crown.

“Coming down the stretch, every game is important,” Kremer said. “We’re just trying to go out there and win every game.”

Around the horn

Hyde opened his pregame news conference in a fitting way. “OK, let’s talk about injuries,” he quipped, referencing the skipper’s least favorite topic to discuss. Reliever Jacob Webb (right elbow inflammation), who struggled in his second minor league rehabilitation outing Wednesday, might have another soon before returning. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle (sprained left wrist) is hitting off a tee but still isn’t progressing the way the Orioles originally hoped. Infielder Jordan Westburg (fractured right hand) has not yet started hitting, but that was expected and his timeline hasn’t changed. Third baseman Ramón Urías (sprained right ankle) has made “huge strides,” Hyde said. Urías, who is optimistic he will return later this month, said he’s walking now without crutches and expects to begin baseball activities in the next few days.

Outfielder Heston Kjerstad will begin his minor league rehab assignment Saturday with High-A Aberdeen. Kjerstad was placed on the injured list in mid-July after he was hit by a pitch in the head. He returned a week later, struggled at the plate and was optioned back to Triple-A. The 25-year-old then reported to the team that his concussion symptoms had returned, and he was placed on Baltimore’s 10-day IL.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers delivered his second straight quality start for Triple-A Norfolk after he surrendered 10 runs in his first outing back in the minors. The trade acquisition scattered six hits across 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball with nine strikeouts Friday night.