BALTIMORE (AP) — Tyler O’Neill and Coby Mayo hit successive homers in the fourth inning, Trevor Rogers took a two-hitter into the seventh and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 Wednesday night.
Despite unloading several key players before Monday's trade deadline, the Orioles remain in the thick of the AL wild-card race after winning the first two games of this series against the last-place Angels.
Baltimore (56-58) will seek to complete
a three-game sweep on Thursday. With a victory, the Orioles will move within a game of .500 for the first time since April 30.
It's a surprising scenario for a team that traded catcher Adley Rutschman, outfielder Taylor Ward and pitchers Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer.
LA starter Reid Detmers (3-8) issued a one-out walk to Gunnar Henderson in the fourth before O’Neill ripped a fastball far over the left-field wall — his ninth homer of the season and second in two days.
Mayo followed with a shot to the same vicinity, only slightly farther at an estimated 436 feet.
Leody Taveras tacked on a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth to help seal the Orioles' 17th win in 27 games.
Rogers (7-7) was lifted after giving up a leadoff single in the seventh. He allowed two runs, had a season-high nine strikeouts and walked none.
Alex Hoppe, obtained from Boston in the trade for Rutschman, took over and yielded a pinch-hit RBI single to Wade Meckler that got the Angels within 3-2.
Yennier Cano worked the eighth and Andrew Kittredge got three outs for his fifth save.
Jose Siri homered the Angels, who have lost 10 of 12.
Orioles RHP Brandon Young (8-2, 3.31 ERA) faces Angels RHP Ryan Johnson (2-6, 7.63) in Thursday's series finale.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
