Marsh hits first career home run but pitching implodes in 10-6 loss to Baltimore

Brandon Marsh finally picked up his first career home run but the Orioles were able to snap a 19-game losing streak

In a game where all the talk surrounded the Baltimore Orioles and futility, the Angels “stole their thunder” and blew a 6-2 lead in a 10-6 loss.

The O’s entered the game with a 19-game losing streak but that came to an end before they could match their 21-game mark. The Halo offense did enough to get the team the win, but the team self-destructed on the mound in embarrassing fashion. Walked-in runs, home runs, optimism and frustration; we pretty much went through every emotion during this matchup.

Scoring Summary

• B-1st Inning: Cedric Mullins HR (LAA 0 – BAL 1), Anthony Santander HR (LAA 0 – BAL 2)
• T-2nd Inning: Brandon Marsh two-run single (LAA 2 – BAL 2)
• T-4th Inning: Jared Walsh HR (LAA 3 – BAL 2), Marsh three-run HR (LAA 6 – BAL 3)
• B-4th Inning: DJ Stewart two-run HR (LAA 6 – BAL 4)
• B-7th Inning: Mullins RBI groundout (LAA 6 – BAL 5)
• B-8th Inning: Ramon Urias RBI BB (LAA 6 – BAL 6), Kelvin Gutierrez RBI BB (LAA 6 – BAL 7), Austin Hays two-run double (LAA6 – BAL 9), Mullins sac-fly (LAA 6 – BAL 10)
• W: Tanner Scott (5-4, 3.83 ERA)
• L: Jake Patricka (0-1, 54.00 ERA)

The Good/Excellent

• After several close calls, rookie outfielder Brandon Marsh FINALLY earned his first career home run with an oppo-taco 3-run blast. He also tied the game in the second inning with a two-run single. Continuing his recent dominance at the plate, Marsh went 3-4 with five RBIs. In his last seven games, Marsh has 12 hits, 10 RBIs, a .444 batting average and .483 slugging. After seeking and punishing the fastball, he was able to find considerable success against off-speed pitches, as demonstrated by his fourth inning home run. In the last month, Marsh has really turned it around and found his footing at the Major League level at the plate. With an improved bat and above-average fielding, it’s worth monitoring the situation at center field when Mike Trout gets back. Presumably, Marsh is the long-term center fielder.

• Jared Walsh recorded his first home run since July 7 and return from the IL on August 11. He has 23 homers on the season.

The Meh/Bad/Ugly

• Shohei Ohtani did just enough to allow the team to get the win, but he wasn’t at his best both on the mound and at the plate. He pitched 5.0 innings and struck out seven, but he gave up three home runs and allowed four earned runs.

“I feel like the home runs were a little bit ambushed. I need to make better pitches when they’re expecting the fastball,” said Ohtani after the game.

At the plate, Ohtani was awful. He went 0-4 with three strikeouts. Shohei has now struck out 154 times, the third most in baseball (1. Gallo 170, 2. Chapman 163).

• David Fletcher lost his small hit streak (seven games) after going 0-5.
• Relievers Mike Mayers, Jake Petricka and James Hoyt couldn’t hold the two run lead after six innings. Petricka and Hoyt both walked in runs and neither were able to finish the eighth inning. Combined, the three pitchers allowed four hits, three walks and six earned runs in only 1.2 innings of work. With the pitching situation thinning out seemingly every day, the Angels lack depth both in the bullpen and in the rotation. Unfortunately, lines like tonight come with the territory.

Play of the Game

• Marsh’s first home run.

Player(s) of the Game

• After going hitless in game 1, Orioles All-Star outfielder Cedric Mullins went 2-4 on Wednesday with three RBIs. Right fielder Anthony Santander continued to haunt the Angels with an RBI and a 3-4 performance.

What’s Next

• The Halos will take on Baltimore in the rubber match tomorrow morning. RHP Jaime Barria (2-2, 5.87 ERA) will face LHP Keegan Akin (0-8, 7.92 ERA) starting at 10:05 a.m. PST on Bally Sports West and KLAA-AM830.

Wednesday Notables

• The Angels are apparently dealing with COVID-19 issues, per Joe Maddon. Pitchers Reid Detmers and Austin Warren both went on the IL for initially-undisclosed reasons. RHP Dylan Bundy also found himself on the 10-day IL with a right shoulder strain. Regarding COVID in the clubhouse, Maddon added, “Hopefully we got everything under control, but we’ll know more in the next couple days.”
• RHP Chris Ellis got the start for Baltimore. He went only 3.0 innings and allowed three runs on five hits, gave up the home run to Walsh and struck out three. Notably, Ellis was included in the Andrelton Simmons trade with Atlanta in 2015.