BALTIMORE—What happened: The Orioles had just three hits in a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
It was their first loss after two games in which they scored 24 runs in two lopsided wins.
Oriole starter Tyler Wells allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits in six innings. After Los Angeles took a 4-0 lead in the second, he retired the last 14 batters he faced. The Orioles scored their only run on a bases-loaded walk by Gunnar Henerson in the second. Neither team scored after that.
“Great innings after the start that he had,” manager Brandon Hyde said about Wells.
“I figured out a mechanical thing in the third inning, and it really helped me stick being able to put all my pitches in the zone and stay on the corners. For the first couple of innings, we executed the plan and the plan wasn’t working, so we had to shift. After that, [catcher James] McCann called a great game, and everything kind of fell into place.”
Wells was the Orioles’ best pitcher in spring training with a 1.26 earned-run average, but he was quickly in trouble against the Angels.
“Whenever you have two rough innings to start the game, your first thought is: ‘How am I going to continue to push later in the game as a starter to give the team innings? …I need to figure this out real quick, and I need to be able to go out there and give my team a chance to win.’”
Starters Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez combined to allow one run on five hits in 12 inning in the Orioles’ first two games while the offense scored 24 runs.
“Baseball’s a funny game,” Wells said. “Sometimes the guys have it, sometimes they don’t. Today was just one of those days. [Los Angeles starter Reid] Detmers went out and pitched well. I’m not too worried about the offense.
“I look at those first two starts, and you’re like: ‘Oh, man, that’s pretty good,’ and then today, it was a little bit of a rougher start, but at the same time, it’s the ability to go out there and continue to give innings. As starters, I think we have a quality rotation. I think it’s going to continue to show itself, and I think it’s going to be a strong suit for the team this year.”
McCann also said they made an adjustment after the first two innings.
“We pivoted from our original game plan,” he said. “They did some damage early. We pivoted, and we did a really good job pitching from there on.”
Detmers allowed a run on two hits in five innings. Jose Soriano gave up one hit in three innings, and Carlos Estevez pitched the ninth for the save.
Angels star Mike Trout struck out five times in the series.
In his first rehab assignment, Oriole starter John Means allowed seven runs on six hits in one-plus inning for Triple-A Norfolk. Means threw 32 pitches, walked two and struck out one as the Tides lost to Durham, 17-5.
What’s the word? “Just because you had two really good games offensively doesn’t mean you’re going to have three just like if you have two really bad offensive games doesn’t mean it’s going to be another bad one.”-McCann said about the Orioles’ lack of offense.
What does it mean? The Orioles won two of three from Los Angeles. Despite being swept by Texas in last October’s Division Series, their regular-season streak of series without a sweep was extended to 92, the fourth longest in major league history.
What’s next? The Orioles host the Kansas City Royals in a three-game series. Dean Kremer will start against Michael Wacha on Monday night at 6:35. This season, all Monday-Thursday games will begin at 6:35 p.m.
Transactions: Left-hander Cionel Pérez was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained right oblique. Pérez left Saturday’s game after two batters. Right-hander Jonathan Heasley was recalled from Norfolk to replace him.
“I don’t know about a timeline really,” Hyde said. “Hope he gets back as soon as he can.”
Infielder/outfielder Nick Maton and outfielder Ryan McKenna cleared outright waivers and were assigned to Norfolk. Infielder/outfielder Tyler Nevin was claimed off waivers by Oakland.
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