What do you get when you put a minor-league lineup up against Cy Young contender Jered Weaver? A nine-run loss! Of course, the AAA lineup didn't have much to do with the Angels scoring eleven runs, but they certainly couldn't help cut into the deficit today.
With Matt Angle filling in for the injured Adam Jones, Josh Bell filling in for the injured Mark Reynolds, Craig Tatum giving Wieters his Sunday rest (on the 7th day, he rested), and Kyle Hudson playing instead of Nolan Reimold because Buck seems to hate Reimold, there wasn't much hope in Birdland today. These four hitters combined to go 0-for-11 with one walk. So...yeah. (Reimold actually pinch hit for Hudson after one at-bat. He also went hitless).
The Orioles had six hits against Weaver in six innings, two each from Nick Markakis, Vladimir Guerrero, and Chris Davis. Vladdy pretty much WAS the offense today. The first O's run scored in the bottom of the first when Vlad tripled with Nick on board. By tripled, I mean "hit a ball softly down the right field line that Torii Hunter fell down trying to field." The O's second run came on a homer from Vlad in the sixth inning, his thirteenth of the season.
As for those eleven runs by the Angels, well, Alfredo Simon was not what you call on the top of his game. The good news is that in five innings he gave up just one walk and struck out five. The bad news is that the Angels were pretty much teeing off on him and hit three home runs. They scored their first run in the first inning on a double from Bobby Abreu, but the remaining five runs charged to the Sauce were courtesy of two home runs from Erick Aybar and one from Vernon Wells.
Simon also hit Mark Trumbo in the booty as payback for Ervin Santana's decision to hit Nolan Reimold and Mark Reynolds yesterday. Both benches were warned.
Simon was replaced in the sixth inning by Brad Bergesen who was just as bad. With one out and Vernon Wells on first, Bergy hit Jeff Mathis in the head. It was obviously not intentional and Bergy looked pretty shaken up. He did not get tossed despite the warnings. Mathis stayed in the game and took first base. Back-to-back doubles plated two more runs, making the score 8-2. Bergesen couldn't get out of the inning so Zach Phillips came in for the final out.
After a scoreless seventh inning from Jason Berken, Jo-Jo Reyes came in for the eighth and stunk. There was a walk, a stolen base, a double, and two singles, all adding up to three more runs for the Angels. Jeremy Accardo pitched a perfect ninth.
As for the the Orioles, they didn't get another hit after Weaver left the game as three Angels relievers pitched one scoreless inning each. They did work two walks off of Bobby Cassevah in the eighth, but couldn't score.
Even with the loss the Orioles took their second consecutive series, and tomorrow start a four-game series in Boston against the Red Sox with a day-night doubleheader.