Wright Shines In Debut As Orioles Blank Angels 3-0
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Mike Wright took a three-hitter into the eighth inning of his major league debut, and the Baltimore Orioles ended the Los Angeles Angels' five-game winning streak with a 3-0 victory Sunday.
Adam Jones scored on a wild pitch in the fourth inning and added a two-run double in the eighth to help Baltimore salvage the finale of the three-game series and improve to 1-12 when scoring fewer than four runs.
Wright (1-0) allowed four hits, struck out six and walked none in 7 1-3 innings. After giving up an eighth-inning single to Matt Joyce, the right-hander was removed by manager Buck Showalter and walked off the mound to a standing ovation by many in the crowd of 41,733.
Brad Brach struck out the last two batters in the eighth, and Zach Britton worked the ninth for his eighth save.
Wright outpitched Los Angeles starter Garrett Richards (3-2), who gave up two runs and five hits in 7 2-3 innings.
Wright started 91 games over five minor league seasons before joining the Orioles on Wednesday to supply depth in the bullpen. But after starter Chris Tillman developed back spasms, the Orioles called upon Wright to fill the void.
Selected in the third round of the 2011 amateur draft, the 6-foot-6 Wright was clocked at 98 mph on a fastball that produced his first major league strikeout, a swing-and-a-miss by Mike Trout.
Wright retired the first nine batters before Kole Calhoun led off the fourth with a single. After Albert Pujols doubled with one out, Calhoun was erased in a rundown and Wright struck out Johnny Giavotella.
That would be the last time the Angels got a runner past first base until the ninth.
Baltimore went up 1-0 in the fourth when Jones reached on an infield hit and scored with two outs when Richards bounced a curveball that got past catcher Carlos Perez.
Jones made it 3-0 in the eighth with a two-out double off Mike Morin.
TRAINERS ROOM
Angels: RHP Cory Rasmus (left core muscle) is moving toward throwing off a mound as he recovers from surgery in March. Right now he's long-tossing as he strives to leave the 60-day DL.
Orioles: Tillman's back spasms have lessened but he remains questionable to start against Seattle on Tuesday. Also, the Orioles are monitoring the health of RHP Bud Norris (bronchitis), who was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday.
ON DECK
Angels: LA opens a four-game series in Toronto on Monday with LHP C.J. Wilson (2-2, 2.63 ERA) on the mound. Wilson has a 1.25 ERA in his three road starts.
Orioles: Baltimore gets a day off before Nelson Cruz makes his return with the Mariners on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game set.
(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
