Angels Fall After Making Orioles Sweat

Much of the momentum the Angels had built before the All-Star break dissolved into the humid air at Camden Yards on Friday night after Baltimore’s Tony Batista launched a tiebreaking solo home run in the eighth inning to propel the Orioles to a 6-5 victory.

The Angels had overcome an early five-run deficit, tying the game with two runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth, only to watch Batista blast an 0-and-2 fastball from reliever Francisco Rodriguez into the left-field stands with two out in the bottom of the eighth.

“When you make a mistake in a tight situation like that,” said Rodriguez, who tried to throw the pitch to Batista up and away but left it over the middle of the plate, “it’s going to hurt you.”

The Angels were left with their second consecutive one-run defeat after winning five games in a row before the All-Star break. They dropped to 1-6 against the Orioles this season and fell 9 1/2 games behind Seattle in the American League West, though they remained 5 1/2 games behind Boston in the wild-card race.

Bengie Molina had tied the score at 5-5 in the eighth with a run-scoring double off the top of the padding on the right-center field wall. Angel Manager Mike Scioscia contended it was a home run, but to no avail.

Baltimore closer Jorge Julio recorded his 20th save and second in as many nights by pitching a scoreless ninth. Scott Spiezio singled up the middle with two out for his third hit, but after pinch-runner Benji Gil stole second, Tim Salmon struck out to end the game.

Jarrod Washburn put the Angels in a quick bind, allowing the first six batters he faced to reach base during Baltimore’s five-run first inning. Batista capped the inning with a grand slam to left, the 25th home run Washburn has given up this season. It is as many homers as the left-hander had surrendered during the entire 2001 season.

Washburn (8-10), the Angels’ first 10-game loser, pinned his early struggles on his failure to adjust to the mound, which featured a slope that wasn’t as steep as the one he had warmed up on in the bullpen.

“The first spot I hit was the grand-slam pitch,” he said. “I wasn’t mad; I had finally hit a spot.”

Washburn recovered nicely after the shaky first, retiring 15 of the final 18 batters he faced before being relieved by Rodriguez in the seventh.

Baltimore starter Rick Helling retired the first 10 batters he faced before Spiezio ripped a single to center with one out in the fourth. The Angels didn’t put a runner into scoring position until the sixth, when Darin Erstad hit a two-out bloop double just inside the left-field line and moved to third on a wild pitch.

“Helling was throwing strikes with nothing that was really nice to hit,” Spiezio said. “He was throwing fastballs low and away, curveballs backdoor -- nothing you can hit a long way.”

The Angels finally got to Helling in the seventh when Garret Anderson hit a solo homer and Jeff DaVanon scored after hitting a double, moving to third on an infield single by Molina and coming home on shortstop Deivi Cruz’s throwing error.

Pinch-hitter Shawn Wooten and David Eckstein followed with singles off reliever Buddy Groom to load the bases, but Groom escaped further damage by retiring Erstad on a grounder back to the mound.

The Angels tied it in the eighth with three runs off four Oriole relievers. Spiezio singled off Groom to open the inning and took second when Hector Carrasco walked Salmon. Then Baltimore reliever B.J. Ryan gave up Anderson’s two-run double over the outstretched glove of center fielder Luis Matos.

Kerry Ligtenberg finally got the Orioles out of the jam, but not before Molina had tied the game with his double.

Batista then hit his second homer of the game to end the Angel bullpen’s consecutive scoreless streak at 18 2/3 innings and render the five-run rally meaningless.

“It’s our job to fight until they tell us we can’t anymore,” Spiezio said. “But any way you slice it, it’s a bad loss.”