Los Angeles Angels at Baltimore Orioles

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
LAA	0	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	9	0
BAL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	1

Baltimore came into the finale having taken the first two games of this set, and with Brandon Young on the mound, the sweep looked like a formality. Young entered 8-2 with a 3.43 ERA, easily the most trustworthy arm in the Orioles rotation this year. Across town, Ryan Johnson had a 7.11 ERA and had been rocked for 5 earned runs in 4.1 innings in his last start. The matchup on paper wasn't close.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Angels(43-71)

LLWLL

4

+1.5-108+186o9.5-104

Orioles(56-58)

WWLLW

1

-1.5+106-182u9.5+106

Best BetOrioles -193

Postgame

This one busted. The bull case leaned entirely on Young pitching to form, and instead the Orioles managed only 1 run and 4 hits against a starter with a 7.11 ERA. The bear case flagged Johnson having an occasional good day and Baltimore's thinned-out lineup — both showed up, just far more than expected.

Pregame

Baltimore's the right side here with Brandon Young's 3.31 ERA against Ryan Johnson's 7.63 — that's about as lopsided a starting pitching gap as you'll find on a slate. The Orioles have also won the first two games of this series, and there's no reason to think the formula changes in the finale.

Baltimore's been doing this without much of its supporting cast. Felix Bautista, Ryan Helsley and Colin Selby are all still working back from injury or surgery, and the bullpen has been thinner since the front office moved pieces before Monday's trade deadline. Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg are out for months, not weeks, which leaves Young and the rotation carrying more weight than a team chasing a wild card would like.

Ryan Johnson

(2-7)·6.41 ERA

Jul 31 vs Brewers

L

4.1IP

5ER

3K

3BB

88P

08/06 Lineup

Brandon Young

(9-3)·3.52 ERA

Jul 31 vs Phillies

ND

5.2IP

4ER

5K

2BB

94P

08/06 Lineup

None of that mattered much once the Angels got to Young. Los Angeles broke through for 3 runs in the third and never let Baltimore's offense find a rhythm against Johnson, who somehow turned in the kind of outing his ERA says he isn't capable of.

The Orioles managed just 1 run and 4 hits all afternoon, with an error compounding the problem. Baltimore had scored 8 runs in the series opener two days ago and 5 the day before that — this lineup simply went cold at the worst possible time, against the pitcher they should have handled.

Los Angeles Angels

(43-71)

Aug 5L@ Orioles2-5

Aug 4L@ Orioles1-3

Aug 2Wvs Brewers3-0

Aug 2Lvs Brewers1-3

Aug 1Lvs Brewers2-6

Baltimore Orioles

(56-58)

Aug 5Wvs Angels5-2

Aug 4Wvs Angels3-1

Aug 2Lvs Phillies0-8

Aug 1Lvs Phillies0-5

Jul 31Wvs Phillies6-4

It's a reminder of where each of these teams actually sits. The Angels are 43-71 and buried in last place, playing out the string with nothing but pride and roster evaluation on the line. Baltimore, even after selling at the deadline, is 56-58 and still mixing it up in the wild-card race — which is exactly why a home loss to the worst team in the league stings more than the standings suggest.

Los Angeles Angels

(7)

• 10-Day-ILSebastian Rivero (C) — Rivero (hand) began a rehab assignment Saturday and has gone 3-for-7 with a home run in his first two rehab contests.07/29
• 15-Day-ILSam Bachman (RP) — The Angels placed Bachman on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to right forearm radial nerve inflammation.08/05
• 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi (SP) — Kikuchi (shoulder) yielded six earned runs on three hits and five walks while striking out four batters across 1.2 innings Tuesday in a rehab start with Triple-A Salt Lake.08/05
• 60-Day-ILYoan Moncada (3B) — Moncada (knee) has been rehabbing at his home and hasn't started baseball activities, MLB.com reports.07/22
• 60-Day-ILJack Kochanowicz (SP) — Kochanowicz's Tommy John surgery on his right elbow was deemed "successful," per MLB.com.06/27
• 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson (RP) — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon (3B) — The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08

Baltimore Orioles

(10)

• 10-Day-ILSamuel Basallo (C) — Manager Craig Albernaz said Tuesday that Basallo (shoulder) is close to participating in both his catching and hitting progressions and could be cleared for a rehab assignment within the next two weeks, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.08/04
• 10-Day-ILBlaze Alexander (3B) — Alexander (hand) does not have a timeline to return from the 10-day injured list, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILFelix Bautista (RP) — Bautista (shoulder) threw live batting practice Tuesday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.08/04
• 60-Day-ILChris Bassitt (SP) — Bassitt (back) struck out four and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk Sunday in a rehab start with Triple-A Norfolk. He also hit three batters.08/03
• 60-Day-ILRyan Helsley (RP) — Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Friday that Helsley (elbow) has resumed a throwing program, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILColin Selby (RP) — Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Friday that Selby underwent right shoulder surgery Tuesday to repair his labrum and rotator cuff, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILRyan Mountcastle (1B) — The Orioles announced that Mountcastle (foot) suffered a "significant" oblique strain while warming up for his first rehab game and will now be out a couple more months, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILKeegan Akin (RP) — Akin (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/15
• 60-Day-ILJordan Westburg (3B) — Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports.05/15
• 60-Day-ILZach Eflin (SP) — Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.05/08

For the Angels, spoiling the sweep is a minor consolation in a lost season, but Johnson silencing a lineup that had beaten him and his rotation twice already this series is worth banking. For Baltimore, it's a stumble they can't afford to repeat if they want to stay in the wild-card picture down the stretch.