Angels give it best shots
Trout and Valbuena hit two home runs each; Ramirez is sharp but exits with injury.
BALTIMORE — The Angels have found their power stroke at cozy Camden Yards.
Mike Trout and Luis Valbuena each hit two home runs off Kevin Gausman, and the Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on Saturday night for their eighth win in 10 games.
Trout homered in the first and third innings, and Valbuena connected in the second and fourth to give the Angels a four-run lead.
It marked the second straight night in which the Angels got all their runs via the long ball. In the series opener, they homered five times in a 9-7 defeat.
The Angels rank 14th in the American League in home runs, but it hasn’t seemed that way this weekend. The nine home runs in successive games are their most since June 2003 in Montreal, when they hit 13.
“We haven’t hit many all year,” manager Mike Scioscia conceded. “We’ve tried to be creative and try to get men on base. We haven’t had the slugging percentage to the level we need it. It’s good to see it come alive.”
Trout went deep Friday night, too, and now has 26 home runs. He has six seasons with at least 25, tied with Tim Salmon for most in franchise history.
“This park’s a little smaller than ours, so that ball carries a little bit better,” Trout said. “It’s fun to watch. You keep passing the baton and go from there.”
It was Trout's first multihomer game of the season and ninth of his career.
JC Ramirez (11-10) allowed a run and five hits in 52⁄3 innings before leaving with tightness in his right forearm.
“We wanted to exercise some precaution and get him out of there,” Scioscia said. “Best-case scenario, he doesn’t miss a beat.”
In his last start against the Orioles, Ramirez gave up six runs in seven innings on Aug. 7 in a loss that dropped the Angels to 55-58. Now they’re 63-60 and in the thick of the AL wild-card race.
Gausman (9-9) allowed five runs and six hits in four innings. The four homers he surrendered matched a career high. In his last 11 starts, Gausman has lost only twice — both against the Angels.
After Trout homered on the fourth pitch of the game, the Orioles got a run in the bottom of the first when Tim Beckham doubled and scored on a wild pitch.
Valbuena led off the second with a drive to center and Trout made it 3-1 in the third . In the fourth, Andrelton Simmons snapped an 0for-19 skid with a double and Valbuena hit his 15th home run on an 0-and-2 pitch.
Baltimore has lost seven of 11 and has not won successive games since Aug. 5-7.