Major League Baseball
Angels 9, Orioles 3
Major League Baseball

Angels 9, Orioles 3

Published Jul. 24, 2011 11:02 p.m. ET

Even if 19-year-old Mike Trout hits hundreds of home runs during his big league career, he will never forget the first.

Everything went right for Trout on Sunday, whose three-run drive in the eighth inning help secure a 9-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

With family and friends in attendance, Trout hit a 3-1 pitch from Mark Worrell into the left field seats to turn a 3-2 lead into a four-run cushion. He got the silent treatment upon returning to the dugout before being mobbed by his teammates.

''It was just awesome out there,'' said Trout, the youngest player in the majors. ''It's definitely special. I think it's my parents' first home run they've seen in pro ball that I hit in a game.''

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To make the afternoon even more perfect, the fan who caught the ball gave it to Trout after the game.

''Took a picture with the guy, gave him an autographed ball,'' said Trout, who gave the souvenir to his contingent before talking with reporters.

Trout came to the plate with a .162 batting average and only two RBIs, but his potential is limitless.

''Mike has been doing something every game,'' manager Mike Scioscia said. ''You have keep pinching yourself and telling yourself he's 19.''

Torii Hunter followed with a two-run shot against Worrell in the eighth, but the veteran preferred to talk about Trout's blast.

''Mike Trout, I'm glad he got the first one out of the way,'' Hunter said. ''He's a good kid. We love him in here.''

Rookie Tyler Chatwood (6-6) allowed two runs and six hits over seven innings for the Angels, who took two of three from Baltimore to improve to 10-1 in their last 11 series.

Chatwood didn't issue a walk for the first time in his career.

''It felt good today. I tried to attack the zone a little more and not nitpick on the corners,'' he said. ''It's something we've been working on a while.''

Jeremy Guthrie (4-14) took the loss despite yielding only two runs over seven innings. He leads the majors in defeats despite owning a decent 4.33 ERA.

Still, the hard-luck pitcher is rumored to be sought after by several contenders before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Thus, he was asked if he considered the possibility that this was his final start for Baltimore at Camden Yards.

''I don't think so, but if it were, I guess it was kind of a perfect microcosm of my career in Baltimore if it did happen to be that,'' he said, tersely.

Guthrie came into the game with the seventh-worst run support in the AL (3.38 runs per game), and the Orioles didn't even match that against the Angels. Certainly, he should have a better record, but that's pretty much how it was the past three seasons, when he finished 10-12, 10-17 and 11-14.

Pitching in 99 degree heat and toward what Orioles manager Buck Showalter described as a ''challenging strike zone,'' Guthrie did his part for the last-place Orioles.

''I thought he held up real well and gave us a chance to win. Impressive,'' Showalter said. ''It's tough to pitch seven innings under all those conditions, and he gave us a good chance to win.''

Nick Markakis homered and had three hits for the Orioles, and Adam Jones hit his 18th of the season and second in two games. Jones has five homers and 11 RBIs in his last nine games, and is one short of matching his career single-season high for home runs

The loss ruined Baltimore's bid to secure its first series win since June 24-26 against Cincinnati. The Orioles are 0-6-1 since then.

Baltimore hit into two double plays, making it six over two games. Although they totaled 20 hits on Saturday and Sunday, the Orioles scored only six runs and finished with seven in the series.

Los Angeles went up 1-0 in the third. With two outs, Hunter broke a 2-for-31 skid with a double and Bobby Abreu grounded an RBI single into right field.

Taking advantage of two walks, the Angels upped their lead to 3-0 in the fourth. A leadoff walk, a double by Howie Kendrick and a sacrifice fly by rookie Mark Trumbo produced a run, and after Guthrie walked No. 9 hitter Bobby Wilson, Maicer Izturis hit an RBI double off the glove of first baseman Derrek Lee.

Baltimore closed to 3-2 in the sixth. After Markakis singled with two outs, Jones hit a 2-0 pitch an estimated 446 feet over the center field wall. It was the first home run allowed by Chatwood in seven starts since June 6.

Following the Angels' big eighth inning, Trumbo added an RBI single in the ninth. Markakis connected in the bottom half off Bobby Cassevah.

NOTES: Markakis entered the game in a 1-for-16 funk. ... The crowd of 15,676 was the Orioles' lowest at home on a Sunday this season. ... LA's Alberto Callaspo had three hits, matching his season high.

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