SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
Major League Baseball
Baltimore 4, LA Angels 2
When: 1:35 PM ET, Sunday, July 10, 2016
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
Temperature: 81°
Umpires: Home - Tim Timmons, 1B - Paul Emmel, 2B - Mike Everitt, 3B - Jordan Baker
Attendance: 32963

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles have dominated teams at home this season, where their powerful lineup takes full advantage of the hitter-friendly confines of Camden Yards.

The Orioles also have leaned heavily on right-hander Chris Tillman to anchor a rotation that has been largely inconsistent. Baltimore used that familiar script to head into the All-Star break full of confidence.

Tillman allowed one run over seven innings and Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy each homered to lead Baltimore to a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. The Orioles have won four out of five and lead the American League East by two games over Toronto and Boston.

"We're just trying to do everything to make sure we're as good as we're capable of being," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "You want to seek your level. I just talked to them before we split up for four days. Make good decisions the next four days. Remember the pact we made with each other when we left Sarasota."

Adam Jones and Pedro Alvarez had three hits apiece for the Orioles, who own the best home record in Major League Baseball at 33-14. Baltimore also leads the league with 137 homers.

Tillman (12-2) struggled early with his command but managed to work his way out of a couple jams. He eventually settled down and held Los Angeles to three hits with five strikeouts and five walks, one shy of tying a season-high.

"The end result was good," Tillman said. "We came out on top. It was a grind. It was a grind from the get-go. I was missing with all my pitches early. Fortunately, we were able to kind of get in somewhat of a rhythm and mix some pitches and get out of innings. To come out on top was good."

Orioles left fielder Hyun Soo Kim, who is batting .329, left the game in the first inning with a right hamstring strain and was replaced by Joey Rickard.

Los Angeles third baseman Yunel Escobar was ejected while on the field in the seventh by home plate umpire Tim Timmons. Escobar was thrown out seconds after third place umpire Jordan Baker ruled that Davis had checked his swing.

Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia was not given a full explanation for the ejection, but said "there was some frustration about. That's it."

The Angels cut the margin to 3-2 in the eighth as Kole Calhoun singled and took third when the ball got past Orioles right fielder Mark Trumbo. Two batters later, Albert Pujols hit a sacrifice fly off Brad Brach. Hardy provided an insurance run with a solo shot in the eighth off Huston Street for his first homer since April 12.

Zach Britton picked up his league-leading 27th save with a scoreless ninth. It was also the 100th save of his career.

Tim Lincecum (1-3), who is trying to resurrect his career with the Angels, allowed three runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and two walks over 5 2/3 innings. His ERA is 6.85 over his six starts.

"That's the best we've seen of him," Scioscia said. "You got a pretty good lineup to get through. He made very few mistakes. I thought he executed his pitches well and should have been through six innings."

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the first when Calhoun walked and scored on a double by Mike Trout off the right-field scoreboard. Calhoun was initially called out at the plate on a relay from second baseman Jonathan Schoop to catcher Matt Wieters. However, the play was reviewed and the call was reversed after 2 minutes and 42 seconds.

After Trumbo singled in the fourth, Davis provided a 2-1 lead with a towering shot to left off Lincecum for his 22nd home run of the season. Baltimore increased the margin to 3-1 an inning later when Jones led off with a double, took third on a sacrifice bunt by Rickard and scored.

"It was a fastball. I just left it up and he put a good swing on it," Lincecum said about Davis' homer. "Other than that, I was controlling both sides of the plate. I made some pitches when I had to and my defense made some good plays as well."

The Orioles took a 3-1 lead in the sixth when a blooper by Alvarez fell between left fielder Ji-Man Choi and shortstop Andrelton Simmons. A throwing error by Simmons allowed him to take third and Hardy followed with a hard single up the middle. Choi took responsibility for the gaffe because of a miscommunication.

Baltimore, meanwhile, will look to keep rolling in the second half of the season.

"I think there are always things that you can work on, but I like the position that we're in right now, and obviously finishing off the 'first half' with two wins at home is good to build some momentum going into the second half of the season," Davis said.

NOTES: Orioles RHP Mychal Givens might avoid paternity leave if his wife gives birth Monday in Florida. If that occurs, Givens could rejoin the team Friday in Tampa Bay. "I don't want to look at it too selfishly here," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. ... Angels manager Mike Scioscia still has not set a rotation to begin Friday's three-game series with the Chicago White Sox. ... Baltimore RHP and set-up man, Darren O'Day (strained right hamstring), threw on flat ground Sunday, but still isn't sure when he will return to the team. O'Day will travel to the Orioles' minor-league facility in Sarasota, Fla., during the All-Star break. ... Angels RHP Cory Rasmus (core injury) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list after undergoing surgery Thursday in Philadelphia. ... The Orioles outrighted RHP David Hale to Triple-A Norfolk, removing him from the 40-man roster. ... The Orioles optioned RHP Jason Garcia to Double-A Bowie following Sunday's game. Garcia, 23, went 4-7 with a 4.79 ERA in 15 starts for the Baysox this season.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
LA Angels   Baltimore
Tim Lincecum Player Chris Tillman
Loss W/L Win
5.2 IP 7.0
4 Strikeouts 5
9 Hits 3
4.76 ERA 1.29
Hitting
LA Angels   Baltimore
Kole Calhoun Player Pedro Alvarez
1 Hits 3
0 RBI 0
0 HR 0
1 TB 4
.500 Avg .750
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
LA Angels 5 0 7 .167 18 6 2 6 0 1
Baltimore 12 2 20 .364 18 7 4 5 0 1