Orioles snap 19-game skid with 10-6 win over Angels
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles snapped their 19-game losing streak Wednesday night, rallying to beat Los Angeles 10-6 after a shaky start by Shohei Ohtani left the Angels’ bullpen with too much to do.
The Angels were up 6-2 in the fourth inning and 6-4 when Ohtani left the game after five. But Baltimore scored a run in the seventh and five in the eighth. Ramón Urías and Kelvin Gutierrez drew bases-loaded walks to put the Orioles up 7-6, and pinch-hitter Austin Hays added a two-run double.
The Orioles were two losses shy of the American League record for the longest skid — which they set themselves in 1988 when they started 0-21.
Ohtani allowed three homers on the mound and struck out three times at the plate, but the Orioles still seemed headed to a 20th straight loss after Brandon Marsh hit his first career homer, a three-run shot in the fourth that made it 6-2.
It was 6-5 when Jake Petricka (0-1) allowed a single, a double and an intentional walk to start the bottom of the eighth. He then walked Urías, his final batter, on four pitches to tie the game.
James Hoyt came on and struck out Jahmai Jones, but then he walked Gutierrez on a full count. Hays then doubled to left with the bases loaded, and Cedric Mullins added a sacrifice fly.
When Tyler Wells retired the final batter of the game on a flyout to right, he hugged catcher Pedro Severino and the Orioles celebrated casually on the field. The fans — many of whom probably came to see Ohtani — roared their approval.
Mullins and Anthony Santander hit solo homers in the first, and DJ Stewart hit a two-run shot off Ohtani in the fourth. Jared Walsh also homered for the Angels.
Tanner Scott (5-4) won in relief for the Orioles.
Ohtani allowed four runs and five hits in five innings. Chris Ellis, making his first career start, yielded three runs and five hits in three-plus innings after the Orioles claimed him off waivers from Tampa Bay on Friday.
Mullins’ homer came on Ohtani’s first pitch of the game, but after Santander’s solo shot gave Baltimore a 2-0 lead, the Angels tied it almost immediately on a two-run single by Marsh in the second.
Walsh hit a solo homer for Los Angeles in the fourth, and Marsh added his three-run shot later in the inning.
Mullins brought home a run in the seventh with a groundout.
GIANTS 3, METS 2
NEW YORK — Jake McGee induced a game-ending popup from Pete Alonso with the bases loaded, and San Francisco turned five double plays to beat freefalling New York.
Brandon Crawford hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the seventh inning after New York manager Luis Rojas gave starter Taijuan Walker an aggressive hook, and the Giants improved to 4-1 against the Mets over the past 10 days.
The Mets had two on against McGee in the ninth after Giants outfielders Austin Slater and Alex Dickerson bumped into each other and dropped a one-out fly ball. Francisco Lindor popped up for the second out before Brandon Nimmo drew a full-count walk to load the bases for Alonso.
McGee jammed Alonso with a 1-2 fastball and his soft flare was caught easily on the infield by second baseman Tommy La Stella. It was McGee’s 29th save.
Walker (7-9) overpowered San Francisco through six innings but was pulled in the seventh with 74 pitches after runners reached on an error by third baseman Jonathan Villar and a popup that fell between three Mets defenders in shallow center.
Rojas tabbed left-hander Aaron Loup to face the lefty-hitting Crawford, and the veteran drilled the first pitch to the wall in right for a tworun double and a 3-2 lead. It was one of only four hits for the Giants in the game.
Fans booed Rojas as he made the change and chanted “Fire Rojas!” after it backfired. It was the first extra-base hit Loup had allowed to a left-handed hitter in 70 plate appearances this season.
New York lost for the 10th time in 12 games — all against the Dodgers and Giants. After leading the NL East for nearly three months, the Mets entered the day 6 1/2 games behind the division-leading Braves.
The five double plays were a season high for New York. Javier Báez ran into the first one when he took off from second on Villar’s liner to center. The ball was caught, and Báez was doubled up easily. Alonso grounded into two double plays, Báez lined into another and Patrick Mazeika also bounced into one.
Walker was perfect until Kris Bryant’s solo homer with two outs in the fourth. The right-hander was charged with three runs (two earned), two hits and a walk over six innings while striking out three. Walker entered the day with a 7.49 ERA in seven starts since making his first All-Star team in July.
The Mets got an unearned run against Johnny Cueto when third baseman Bryant threw away a twoout, bases-loaded grounder hit by slow-footed Alonso to tie it at 1 in the fifth. An inning later, Dominic Smith ripped a go-ahead RBI double off left-hander Tony Watson (5-3).
Cueto was activated from the injured list and pitched for the first time since Aug. 9 due to a right flexor strain. He allowed an unearned run over 4 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and three walks with two strikeouts.