BALTIMORE — Cedric Mullins had two hits and three RBIs on a night when Baltimore hit three home runs en route to a 10-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels that ended the Orioles’ humiliating 19-game losing streak.
There indeed was a fever pitch at Camden Yards on Wednesday night, as fans came to see the Angels’ two-way super star, Shohei Ohtani, take the mound against the last-place home team.
And though Los Angeles raced out to a 6-2 lead, the Orioles scrapped their way back, capping the comeback with five runs in the eighth inning. Baltimore needed seven pitchers to get it done in what was already a planned bullpen game, and finished just 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position. But a win is a win.
Ohtani allowed four runs on five hits in five innings of work, striking out seven along the way. The Orioles made him work on a warm night, and he left after tossing 84 pitches.
A day after a 14-8 loss to the Angels in which Orioles manager Brandon Hyde called on his team “to pitch in this league to stay competitive,” the Orioles indeed battled to avoid a 20th straight defeat.
“This is incredibly challenging and a huge gut check,” Hyde said at the time. “We’re trying to keep our spirits high.”
It seemed to work, and perhaps now the Orioles can move forward with the rest of their season and continue to give the organization’s younger players a long look with MLB playing time the rest of the way without the cloud of the streak hovering over them.
The last major league team to lose 20 straight games was the 1988 Orioles squad that dropped 21 in a row to begin the season.
Jake Petricka (0-1) took the loss for the Angels, while Tanner Scott (5-4) won in relief for the Orioles.
When Scott’s bullpen mate, Tyler Wells, retired the final batter of the game on a flyout to right, he hugged catcher Pedro Severino and the Orioles celebrated casually on the field. The fans roared their approval.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.