Angels’ problems magnified in 9-7 loss to Orioles

Reporting from Baltimore — They’ve altered their infield, shuffled their starting rotation and juggled their outfield.

Maybe it’s time the Angels shifted their focus to 2011.

Different names and configurations have failed to halt a slide in which the Angels have lost 10 of their last 13 games, a 9-7 defeat Wednesday at Camden Yards against the Baltimore Orioles dropping them into third place in the American League West.

Even the Angels’ steady starting pitching may be beginning to crack, with Baltimore pulverizing Ervin Santana for 12 hits and a career-high-tying nine runs in 3 2/3 innings. Santana had pitched at least six innings in his previous seven starts, but the Orioles knocked him out of the game with a two-out, five-run rally in the fourth inning.

The onslaught rendered meaningless a five-run rally by the Angels in the seventh inning and a one-run ninth in which they twice brought the tying run to the plate.

But Torii Hunter was thrown out attempting to steal third base with nobody out. After Howie Kendrick flied out to left field, Juan Rivera ripped a single to left to bring up Mike Napoli, who flied out to right to end the game.

The Angels have been outscored, 15-10, in losing the first two games of a series against the dreadful Orioles, who began Wednesday 40 games under .500. The Angels (54-55) joined their counterparts on the wrong side of the break-even mark, falling below .500 at this point of a season for the first time since 2003.

That, incidentally, was the same year a four-game post-All Star-break sweep by Baltimore here essentially took the Angels out of contention.

Those seven games left against AL West-leading Texas over the next two months may not mean much unless the Angels can start winning. Their latest defeat left them 8œ games behind the Rangers and one game behind second-place Oakland.

For those who maintain there’s still plenty of time left, well, not really.

The Angels have overcome a bigger deficit to make the playoffs, having been 10œ games out of first place in the division in 2002 before going on to win the wild-card and the World Series. But that deficit came in April, not August.

Even with Baltimore scoring three second-inning runs off Santana (10-8), the Angels had plenty of chances in the early going to pressure Orioles starter Brian Matusz (4-11). But they went one for seven with runners in scoring position in the first four innings, with the hit a measly infield single from Hunter that only advanced Izturis from second base to third.

Santana retired the first two batters in the fourth. The next six batters reached base, with Ty Wigginton’s two-run single and Luke Scott’s two-run homer serving as the biggest blows.

The Angels’ seventh-inning rally featured a season-high seven hits, including a two-run double from Maicer Izturis and run-scoring doubles from Erick Aybar and Bobby Abreu. Pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo grounded out to second baseman Julio Lugo with the bases loaded to end the inning.

ben.bolch@latimes.com