Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run homer to cap a four-run sixth inning and help the Baltimore Orioles post a 7-3 victory over the mistake-plagued Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon at Anaheim, Calif.
Henderson and Cedric Mullins each had two hits and two runs as Baltimore took two of three in the series after losing its previous five games. Maverick Handley drove in two runs without benefit of a hit.
Tyler Ward and Logan O’Hoppe had RBI hits for the Angels, who lost for the third time in the past four games. Matthew Lugo smacked his first major league homer for Los Angeles.
Baltimore’s Zach Eflin (3-1) gave up two runs and five hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Eflin (lat) was activated from the 10-day injured list before the game for his first outing since April 7.
Tyler Anderson (2-1) allowed three runs (one earned) and four hits over five innings for the Angels. He fanned five and walked two.
Baltimore led 3-2 entering the sixth and added to the lead as Ramon Laureano walked, stole second, moved to third on a poor pickoff throw into center field by Connor Brogdon and scored on Brogdon’s wild pitch.
Emmanuel Rivera walked, Mullins singled to put runners on the corners and Handley put down a sacrifice bunt to make it 5-2. Henderson then ripped a 1-0 changeup to center for a two-run blast that broke the game open.
Lugo ripped his homer to left with two outs in the ninth.
Baltimore got a gift run in the first. Henderson led off with a double and Adley Rutschman came up with two outs and hit a fly to left that Ward lost in the sun. It landed well behind him and Rutschman ended up with an RBI triple.
The Angels scored twice in the bottom of the inning when Jorge Soler singled with two out and scored on Ward’s double. O’Hoppe followed with an RBI single.
In the third, Los Angeles had runners at first and second with one out when Ward singled to right. Yoan Moncada came charging well around third before Bo Porter, recently moved to third-base coach, put up the stop sign. Moncada got back to third just in time to see Soler arriving. Soler went back toward second and was tagged out.
The Orioles received more help from the Angels in the fifth as an error by Moncada on Rivera’s grounder opened the door for two unearned runs.
Mullins followed with a double and Handley added a sacrifice fly to score Rivera. Later in the inning, Ryan Mountcastle hit an RBI single to give Baltimore a 3-2 edge.
–Field Level Media
