Angels lose hot-hitting C.J. Cron in win over Orioles

As he stepped to a secondary lead off first base Friday night at Camden Yards, Mike Trout heard a crack from home plate. At first, he thought C.J. Cron had fouled off a sixth-inning fastball from Mike Wright.

Then he saw Cron hopping in pain, and he gathered that the baseball struck both Cron’s hand and the bat. Only when he watched the replay later did he realize it had hit only Cron’s hand — and cracked it.

Playing their best baseball in months, the Angels beat Baltimore, 9-5, on Friday night, but their outlook remains as unsettled as ever. Just as they were tying up their fourth consecutive win, they received the news that their hottest hitter had fractured a bone in his left hand on that sixth inning hit-by-pitch.

He was placed on the disabled list after the game, likely to miss at least a month. He’ll visit a hand specialist Monday in Los Angeles to confirm the diagnosis.

“It’s a blow to us and to C.J.,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He had really picked it up and started to become productive the way we know he can.”

“Under these circumstances, where we’re finally starting to put together some wins,” Cron said, “it’s bad timing for sure.”

Cron had seven extra-base hits and 17 RBIs eight games into the Angels’ 10-game trip, of which they have won five. His .810 on-base-plus-slugging percentage entering play Friday was second-best on the team, behind only Trout.

Three minutes before they announced Cron’s injury, the Angels pulled Ji-Man Choi from their triple-A affiliate’s game in Salt Lake City. The next first baseman on their depth chart, he played sparingly during a monthlong season-opening stint with the team, but has since impressed the organization in everyday play in the minors. He’ll fly overnight and presumably split time at first with Jefry Marte in Cron’s absence.

“Somebody’s gotta step up,” Trout said.

The news tarnished what was otherwise another encouraging day for the team. They pitched capably, if not spectacularly, and hammered Orioles spot starter Ubaldo Jimenez.

Kole Calhoun worked a one-out first-inning walk, and Trout and Albert Pujols knocked consecutive singles to bring in the game’s first run. Cron then grounded out to bring in another.

When he grounded out to score a run in the fourth, Cron became the first major leaguer in 25 years to drive in two runs in consecutive games without notching a hit.

The Angels had long since spurred Jimenez from the game by then. He recorded only four outs. Wright, his replacement, was both better and wilder. The pitch that injured Cron was his third hit batsman of the night.

“After the first couple, it’d be nice if he kinda stayed away and didn’t try to come in so much, but that’s baseball, man,” Cron said. “Unfortunately, it rode up a little too much. It’s not his fault.”

Matt Shoemaker began the game with a 91-mph fastball down the middle, and Adam Jones squared it up. The ball traveled 429 feet to straightaway center, a solo home run. Two batters later, Daniel Nava reached over the outfield wall to prevent Manny Machado’s drive from leaving the park.

When Cam Bedrosian relieved Shoemaker after five innings, he nailed Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop in the helmet with a 94-mph fastball. The ball caromed dozens of rows into the stands, and home plate umpire Mike Everitt issued warnings to both teams.

There would be no more controversy, though come the ninth inning, reliever Deolis Guerra stumbled for the first time in a long time. He issued his first walk of the season and then gave up a monstrous, meaningless home run to ex-Angel Mark Trumbo.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura