Angels Beat Orioles, 4-1, For First Win After Roster Blowup

The Los Angeles Angels got their first win after blowing up their roster at the deadline as they used  a solid start from Ryan Johnson  and power production from Zach Neto to get a 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the final game of their three-game series against the Birds. 

The Angels dropped Neto into the four hole for this one, and he responded by producing like a cleanup hitter. Neto blasted a three-run homer of Oriole starter Brandon Young in the third inning to give the Halos a 3-0 lead, but Johnson gave one back in the bottom of the inning as the Orioles countered with a solo shot from Yohel Pozo. 

That score held into the seventh, with Johnson departing with two outs in the fifth as he struggled once again with his control. His final line included just three hits to go with a strikeout, but five walks kept him in constant trouble as he continues to try and figure things out at the big-league level. 

The Angels new bullpen was good, however, as Mitch Farris recovered from a couple of bad outings to pitch a scoreless inning, and new addition Luke Murphy continued his fine work as he went 1-1/3 innings and struck out three.  

LA added an insurance run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly that scored Wade Meckler, who had a fine day in the leadoff spot as he got two hits and scored twice. 

That made it 4-1, with Tayler Saucedo next up out of the bullpen. He got a pair of outs, but manager Kurt Suzuki called on rookie Samy Natera Jr. for a four-out save when the Orioles mounted a possible rally. 

Natera got the job done with his second save of the season as he struck out a pair of hitters while stranding a runner after giving up a hit. It was a rare uneventful outing from a bullpen that’s been combustible all season long, and the win kept the Orioles from getting a sweep. 

The Angels next stop is South Florida to play the Miami Marlins, who are hanging on in the NL wild card race at three games out. The Halos haven’t listed a starter for this one, but the Marlins will send Tyler Phillips to the hill. The Angels haven’t been good at playing spoilers so far, but the Marlins run hot and cold, and they’ll be coming off a series loss to the Atlanta Braves.