The Baltimore Orioles continued their roller coaster season by dropping two out of three to the Los Angeles Angels at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Coming off of a series win against the Toronto Blue Jays, the last place Birds fell back down to earth against the Angels.
After losing the first two games of the series, the (16-19) Orioles got an unexpected lift from emergency starter Mike Wright who was making his first career start.
With usual starters Bud Norris and Chris Tillman sidelined due to illness and injury, Wright baffled the Angels, pitching a four-hitter while striking out six and walking one in a 3-0 Orioles win.
With the Angels hitters held in check, the Birds only needed a two-RBI double by center fielder Adam Jones in the eighth inning to secure the victory. Closer Zach Britton came in to notch his eighth save of the season.
In the first game of the series, a 3-1 Angels win, the Birds wasted a stellar pitching performance from starter Wei-Yin Chen. He struck out seven while giving up five hits, two walks and two runs in seven innings of work.
The offense was paced by shortstop J.J. Hardy who went 2-3 including his second homer of the year. Chen now has a record of (1-2) with a respectable 2.53 ERA.
In the middle game of the three game set, the Angels won 6-1 in a game that was close until the seventh inning. Orioles starter Ulbaldo Jimenez (3-3, 2.43 ERA) had a shutout going until the seventh when he gave up two runs. He was replaced but not before striking out six and walking none.
The bullpen then surrendered four runs in the eighth and ninth innings, including slugger Mike Trout’s 10th homer of the year in the eighth and another solo shot in the ninth to David Freese to secure the victory for the (19-18) Angels.
