O's Drop Finale in Anaheim

The O's bats awakened against the Angels this afternoon. The Birds had 15 hits in the game, a season high, but managed just five runs, falling to the Angels 6-5.

The O's made some offensive blunders in the first, and that would come back to haunt them as the game progressed. Brian Roberts led-off the game with a double, but was caught stealing third with one out. Had he stayed put, Mora's single would have scored him. After Huff and Millar both singled, scoring Mora, Ramon Hernandez hit a long ball off the wall. He thought it was gone, and went into a home run trot. Huff scored easily, but both Millar and Hernandez thought the ball was gone. What should have been a 2-run double ended the inning, with Millar held-up at third and Ramon getting thrown out at second. The O's had five hits in the inning, but scored only twice.

Starter Steve Trachsel looked horrible. Check out his final line...3 innings, 7 hits, 6 runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 3 home runs. Trembley may have to send Trax to the bullpen...

The O's bullpen was superb yet again, with new reliever Lance Cormier, Dennis Sarfate, and Jim Johnson pitching five innings of shutout ball, allowing just one hit.

The O's had a few long balls of their own; Markakis and Mora, in their new order in the lineup, each hit solo shots, bringing the Birds close to tying the game in the later innings. In the end though, Trachsel's six runs allowed would prove too much to overcome. It was the first time this season that the O's lost when collecting ten or more hits.

With the loss, the O's are now in a 3-way tie for 2nd place, along with Tampa Bay and New York. They take on Oakland tomorrow night; Garrett Olson will be making his second start of the season.