ANAHEM, Calif. (AP) — Jordan Westburg brought home the go ahead run on a ground out in the 10th inning and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.
Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan Mountcastle each had RBI singles in the ninth inning to give the AL-leading Orioles a brief lead, while Adley Rutschman also drove in a run.
Mickey Moniak tied it for the Angels at 4 in the ninth inning with a two-out RBI single. Jose Soriano (0-2) took the loss.
Right-hander Dean Kremer lasted just 4 2/3 innings despite not allowing a run, leaving with the bases loaded in the fifth. Right-hander Joey Krehbiel (1-0) got one out in the ninth for the victory and Shintaro Fujinami worked the 10th for his second save.
Baltimore improved to 87-51 with its sixth consecutive series victory.
The Orioles are two victories away from matching the regular-season win total of the 2016 club, which was the last Baltimore team to make the playoffs when it advanced to the AL wild-card game.
The Angels played without designated hitter Shohei Ohtani for the second consecutive game because of oblique tightness.
According to Angels manager Phil Nevin, the club still is assessing tests on the latest injury to the AL MVP candidate. Ohtani also has a ligament tear in his right elbow that will prevent him from pitching again this season.
“He really wants to play right now,” Nevin said. “This is something that he’s upset by. He wants to play. And we want him to. Of course, we do. It’s a credit to who he is.”
The Angels also are without star slugger Mike Trout, who has played just one game since July 4 because of a broken bone in his hand. They struggled to find early offense, ultimately losing their fifth consecutive game and falling for the eighth time in their last nine games.
The Orioles took a 2-0 lead in the third inning against Angels left-hander Reid Detmers. Jorge Mateo singled with one out and stole second base. Rutschman singled to left to score Mateo and advanced to second on the throw home. Mountcastle followed with a single, with Rutschman scoring on an error by left fielder Randal Grichuk.
The Angels had a prime scoring chance in the fifth inning when they loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and a single by Luis Rengifo. Left-hander Cionel Perez replaced Kremer and got Mike Moustakas to ground out and end the threat.
The Angels finally broke through in the seventh inning when rookie Nolan Schanuel singled with one out and scored on a double to left-center by Brandon Drury. Moustakas added a two-out RBI single to tie it at 2.
Schanuel went 2 for 4 and has reached base in all 14 games he has played since making his major league debut Aug. 18.
The Orioles had a chance to take the lead in the eighth inning after Anthony Santander’s leadoff double, but Austin Hays and Gunnar Henderson struck out, while Westburg grounded out against left-hander Aaron Loup.
The Angels went up 3-2 in the eighth on an RBI single from rookie Trey Cabbage before the Orioles answered in the ninth. Adam Frazier doubled on a bloop down the left-field line and O’Hearn brought him home with a single off Carlos Estevez. After Rutschman walked, Mountcastle ripped a go-ahead single to right-center for a 4-3 advantage.
TRAINERS ROOM
Orioles: Left-hander John Means is expected to make a rehab start at Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. Means, who has been out most of the season with a UCL tear, is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA in five rehab starts at Double-A and Triple-A.
UP NEXT
Orioles right-hander Kyle Gibson (13-8, 5.15 ERA) was set to start Wedmesday against left-hander Patrick Sandoval (7-11, 4.19 ERA).
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