The Baltimore Orioles halted a five-game losing streak on Friday night with a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium, backed by a dominant performance from starter Tomoyuki Sugano and two key RBIs from Gunnar Henderson.
Entering the game, betting odds were narrowly in Baltimore’s favor, with the Orioles listed at approximately -115 on the moneyline, while the Angels stood close behind at -105. The matchup reflected the volatility of two teams struggling for consistency early in the season.
Making his ninth start for Baltimore, Sugano delivered one of his best performances. The veteran right-hander worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on three hits. He struck out five batters and did not issue a walk in a 93-pitch outing, 65 of which were strikes. His command and pitch variety kept the Angels off-balance throughout the game.
Baltimore got on the scoreboard early. In the top of the first inning, Henderson launched a solo home run off Angels starter Kyle Hendricks, giving the Orioles a quick lead. It was Henderson’s fourth homer of the season and marked Baltimore’s first run in the opening inning in 17 games.
The Orioles extended their lead in the second inning. Ryan O’Hearn and Tyler O’Neill drew consecutive walks to start the frame, and Jackson Holliday followed with an RBI single. Emmanuel Rivera added another run with a base hit to left, pushing Baltimore’s lead to 3-0.
The Angels attempted a comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Yoán Moncada led off with a triple and scored on Taylor Ward’s groundout, cutting the deficit to 3-1. That would be the only run Los Angeles managed to plate against Sugano.
Baltimore’s bullpen preserved the lead. Yennier Cano took over for Sugano in the eighth and faced immediate pressure after surrendering a single to Jo Adell and a walk to pinch-hitter Jorge Soler. However, Cano won a prolonged 13-pitch battle with Zach Neto, who fouled off multiple pitches before striking out on a 95-mph sinker.
Closer Felix Bautista took the mound in the ninth and retired the side with two strikeouts to secure his seventh save of the season.
Hendricks, who has struggled for much of the year, allowed three runs on six hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked three in the losing effort. Reid Detmers entered in relief in the sixth and kept the game within reach, recording three outs without allowing a run despite inheriting a two-on, no-out situation.
Henderson added insurance in the ninth inning with a triple to right-center, driving in his second run of the night and sealing the 4-1 victory.
Baltimore improved its record with the win while Los Angeles grappled with inconsistency. The series continues Saturday night with Kyle Gibson (0-1, 14.09 ERA) scheduled to start for the Orioles and Jack Kochanowicz (1-5, 5.79 ERA) set to take the mound for the Angels.