ANAHEIM, Calif. - -The Orioles officially hit the midpoint of the 2009 season Saturday night with a defeat that could serve as a microcosm of a first half filled with frustrating losses.
There was the blown four-run lead, the failure of a rookie starter to get deep into the game and a slew of defensive miscues that simply cannot happen for a team expecting to win anywhere, nevermind in the home ballpark of one of baseball's better teams.
Orioles veteran second baseman Brian Roberts contributed to the Los Angeles Angels' three-run fifth inning with a key error. Roberts and right fielder Nick Markakis then inexcusably allowed Juan Rivera's high popup to drop in between them in right field, allowing the go-ahead run to score in the seventh inning of the Angels' eventual 11-4 victory before an announced holiday crowd of 41,764 at Angel Stadium.
The Orioles (36-45) actually led the game 4-0 after the top of the fifth, but Jason Berken couldn't get an out in the bottom of the inning. Danys Baez then was asked to protect a 4-3 lead in the seventh and he loaded the bases without getting an out. Vladimir Guerrero tied the game by hitting into a double play and Baez thought he had gotten out of the inning when Rivera lofted a high fly to right field.
Roberts tracked back and appeared to have a bead on the ball, while Markakis jogged in from deep right-center. At the last instant, Roberts looked at Markakis and the ball fell between them as Bobby Abreu jogged in from the third.
The Angels (44-35) then officially blew a one-run game open, scoring six times in the eighth off Brian Bass. Guerrero had the big swing in the inning with a tape-measure three-run homer over the Orioles' bullpen in left field. But that he even got up was testament to more poor Orioles' defense. Bass' fired an errant pickoff attempt at first base and Robert Andino and Melvin Mora failed to get the lead runner at third on a groundball by Mike Napoli.
It marked a serious reversal of fortune for the Orioles, who had jumped on the Angels for a second straight night. Berken hadn't had much experience protecting 4-0 leads. In his six previous starts, the Orioles had scored only four runs while he was in the game. The rookie right-hander had given up plenty of hard-hit balls, but he escaped any trouble through the first four innings.
