Birds’ Eye View: What we saw in Orioles’ 7-4 loss to Angels

What happened? Grayson Rodriguez allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings as the Orioles lost to the Los Angeles Angels, 7-4, on Tuesday night at Angels Stadium.

Mike Trout homered against Rodriguez (3-1) to begin the Angels’ first. It was Trout’s first time batting leadoff since August 25^th, 2020.

Rodriguez allowed 11 hits, a career high, struck out seven and walked one.

The Orioles (15-8) had won their previous three and trail New York by a half-game in the American League East.

After Rodriguez left, Dillon Tate. Keegan Akin and Yohan Ramírez combined for 3 2/3 hitless innings.

The Orioles had just one hit in four innings against Griffin Canning (1-3), and scored three runs in the fifth on Gunnar Henderson’s sacrifice fly and Ryan O’Hearn’s two-run double. Henderson homered in the seventh, his sixth of the season.

Ryan Mountcastle, who missed Monday’s game with knee soreness, pinch-hit for O’Hearn in the seventh and played first base.

Catcher Adley Rutschman was 3-for-5.

Second baseman Jackson Holliday went 1-for-4. His fifth-inning single was the second of his career. He’s hitting .059.

How did Heston Kjerstad do? Kjerstad was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday. Kjerstad batted eighth and played right field. He was hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts.

What was the key play? Trout’s leadoff home run started Rodriguez’s long night. His ERA rose from 2.63 to 4.45.

What does it mean? Rodriguez had been excellent in his first three starts, and I’m sure he’ll rebound nicely. Last May 15^th, he gave up eight runs on nine hits to Shohei Ohtani and the Angels.

What’s the stat of the day? Rutschman had three hits for the second time on the road trip. He also had three hits last Friday in the Orioles’ 9-4 loss at Kansas City.

What happened in the minor leagues? John Means allowed three runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings in his fifth rehab start as Norfolk lost to Gwinnet,t 9-4. Catcher Maverick Handley had three RBIs.

Rightfielder Elio Prado drove in four runs, second baseman Travis Josenberger had three hits and drove in two and third baseman Jalen Vasquez hit a two-run home run as High-A Aberdeen beat Jersey Shore, 9-2.

Cameron Weston allowed one hit in 4 2/3 scoreless innings, walking three, striking out four. Weston has an 0.54 ERA.

What did I miss? I’ve seen two unforgettable games at Angels Stadium. One was very short, the other very long.

On September 29^th, 1992, I watched Kansas City’s Dennis Rasmussen face the minimum 27 batters as he shut out the Angels, 1-0, in an hour, 44 minutes.

On July 25^th, 2019, I saw Stevie Wilkerson record the first save by a position player in baseball history as the Orioles held off the Angels, 10-8. in 16 innings.

Wilkerson was the 10^th pitcher of the night in a game that took six hours, 19 minutes and ended at 4:27 a.m. Eastern time.

A visit to Anaheim is also great so I can visit In-N-Out Burger, which began in Orange County and visit the Nixon Presidential Library, located in Yorba Linda, not far from the ballpark.

What’s next? Dean Kremer (0-2, 4.91) will face Tyler Anderson (2-2, 1.42) when the Orioles play the Los Angeles Angels in the final game of their six-game road trip on Wednesday. Game time is 4:07 p.m.

Call for questions: I’ll be answering at least one question every weekday. Send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com