ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels’ comeback efforts fell just short in a 6-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, the finale of a three-game set at Angel Stadium.  

The final play of the game, a tag out at second involving Jo Adell was met with some controversy.

Ehire Adrianza hit a single in the bottom of the ninth and after an error at first, advanced all the way to third base. Following a groundout by Logan O’Hoppe, Adrianza scored to bring the Halos within one run, 6-5. After getting walked with two outs, Jo Adell attempted to steal second and was called out. 

The Angels challenged the play, but the call stood.

“A little disappointing to end the game that way,” Adell said. “But, hopefully we can get those right moving forward.” 

Angels manager Ron Washington said he was “very surprised,” the call wasn’t overturned. 

Adell doesn’t regret his decision to steal second.

”At the end, I was aggressive, we got aggressive on the bases and we took a chance,” Adell said. “I wouldn’t take it back.”

Tyler Anderson started on the mound for the Halos and finished with seven strikeouts, four hits and two earned runs allowed in five innings pitched. Anderson’s counterpart, RHP Dean Kremer picked up the win and finished with a career-high 10 strikeouts, along with three hits allowed and two earned runs.

”He battled, he got us through five, it was a battle all day, but he got us through five,” Washington said about Anderson’s performance.

Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson had his second home run against the Angels in as many days to get things started for the O’s in the 3rd before an Adley Rutschman RBI single doubled the lead in the fifth, 2-0.

The game began to unravel for the Halos in the top of the 6th, following the departure of Anderson. Jose Suarez started the frame and gave up four runs in 0.2 innings and in the blink of an eye, the Orioles’ lead ballooned to 6-0.

”I’m not bringing in my best pitchers, who all threw the night before, so I had to look over what I had available and Suarez was the main one that was available,” Washington said about the decision to go with Suarez. 

Suarez now has an ERA of 9.20 in eight appearances this season.

”I felt good today, my pitches felt good. I was throwing harder than my other outings but things didn’t go my way,” Suarez said of his performance.

Mike Trout didn’t let the Angels go away quietly, scoring the first of five unanswered runs for the Halos.

Trout led off for the second straight game and hit his second consecutive home run against the Orioles in the bottom of the sixth. The homer placed Trout atop the MLB leaderboard with 10 this season. 

Two batters later, Taylor Ward hit a 2-run home run, just barely getting the ball over the wall in center field to cut the deficit in half, 6-3.

Miguel Sano left the game at the start of the 6th inning due to left knee soreness, Adrianza finished the game at third base for the Halos.

”Being in the situation where we were, I didn’t want us to get back into the ballgame and then [Sano] can’t move down there,” Washington said about the decision to pull Sano. 

Zach Neto hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the 8th inning to make it 6-4.

Later in the same frame, Brandon Drury struck out while pinch hitting for Nolan Schanuel. Drury, who had not made an appearance in the previous two games against Baltimore, was experiencing soreness after suffering a hamstring injury the week prior.

Next, the Angels will have the day off Thursday before hosting the Minnesota Twins for a three-game set over the weekend.

“We’re learning what it takes to win. And once we start doing the things that put us on the other side of what’s been happening, we’ll start learning how to win,” Washington said. “We’re not quite there yet.”