ANAHEIM, Calif. – Kendrys Morales hit a two-run single in Los Angeles' five-run fourth inning and the Angels rallied to beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-7 on Thursday night.
LaTroy Hawkins (2-1), the second of six Angels pitchers, retired both batters he faced after relieving rookie Garrett Richards in the fifth inning and got credit for the victory.
Ernesto Frieri got three outs for his 11th save in 11 chances, keeping his spotless ERA intact in 25 appearances with the Angels and helping them climb within four games of the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. The Orioles slipped 5½ behind the idle New York Yankees in the AL East.
Richards gave up seven runs and 10 hits in 4 1-3 innings. The 24-year-old right-hander has surrendered 20 runs and 28 hits along with eight walks over 15 1-3 innings in three starts since June 17, when he pitching eight innings of four-hit ball in a 2-0 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Mark Reynolds and Ryan Flaherty hit consecutive first-pitch homers in the second and Matt Wieters' three-run shot put Baltimore ahead 7-3, but Jake Arrieta failed to make it out of the fourth inning for the second straight time.
The right-hander was charged with six runs, five hits and three walks in 3 2-3 innings. He is 1-7 with a 7.71 ERA in 12 starts since May 2, when he threw a career-high eight innings in a 5-0 victory at the Yankees.
The Orioles scored in the first, second and fourth, but Arrieta's failure to come up with a shutdown inning on any of those occasions ultimately led to his early exit.
Angels standout rookie Mike Trout came up in the fourth representing the tying run after Howie Kendrick's RBI single cut the margin to 7-4. He had to settle for his second sacrifice fly, but Torii Hunter greeted Luis Ayala (2-2) with an RBI single that trimmed the deficit to one. Albert Pujols sent Hunter to third with a single before stealing second, and both runners scored on Morales' hit to left field.
Trout, heading to his first All-Star game next week, stole three bases to increase his total to 26 — all of them coming after his recall from Triple-A Salt Lake on April 28. He manufactured a run in the sixth by stealing second and third, and continued home on catcher Wieters' errant throw past third baseman Wilson Betemit.
NOTES: Angels RHP Dan Haren was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his 10-year career because of stiffness in his lower back. RHP Kevin Jepsen was recalled from Salt Lake. ... Baltimore's Chris Davis was scratched with a right trapezius strain in his upper back, and Flaherty started in RF. ... Baltimore's Jason Hammel, who starts Saturday night against Jered Weaver, finished third behind Yu Darvish and Jake Peavy among the five pitchers eligible for the final AL All-Star berth in voting by fans in the Internet. Frieri was fifth behind Jonathan Broxton. ... Orioles RHP Miguel Gonzalez will make his first major league start Friday night against C.J. Wilson. ... Baltimore recalled INF Joe Mahoney from Triple-A Norfolk, his first trip to the big leagues. He is filling the roster spot left vacated when RHP Chris Tillman was optioned to Double-A Bowie to keep sharp during the All-Star break. ... Baltimore slugger Nick Markakis, sidelined since May 30 recovering from wrist surgery to repair a fractured right hamate bone, is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment Saturday with Bowie. ... Jim Thome's run-scoring single in the first inning was his first RBI in 15 at-bats since joining the Orioles in a trade from Philadelphia on June 30.
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