BALTIMORE — Tyler O’Neill and Coby Mayo hit successive homers in the fourth inning, Trevor Rogers took a two-hitter into the seventh and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Angels 5-2 Wednesday night.
Despite unloading several key players before Monday’s trade deadline, the Orioles remain in the thick of the AL wild-card race after winning the first two games of this series against the last-place Angels.
Baltimore (56-58) will seek to complete a three-game sweep on Thursday. With a victory, the Orioles will move within a game of .500 for the first time since April 30.
It’s a surprising scenario for a team that traded catcher Adley Rutschman, outfielder Taylor Ward and pitchers Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer.
Angels starter Reid Detmers (3-8) issued a one-out walk to Gunnar Henderson in the fourth before O’Neill ripped a fastball far over the left-field wall — his ninth homer of the season and second in two days.
Mayo followed with a shot to the same vicinity, only slightly farther at an estimated 436 feet.
Leody Taveras tacked on a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth to help seal the Orioles’ 17th win in 27 games.
Rogers (7-7) was lifted after giving up a leadoff single in the seventh. He gave up two runs, had a season-high nine strikeouts and walked none.
Alex Hoppe, obtained from Boston in the trade for Rutschman, took over and yielded a pinch-hit RBI single to Wade Meckler that got the Angels within 3-2.
Yennier Cano worked the eighth and Andrew Kittredge got three out for his fifth save.
Jose Siri homered for the Angels, who have lost 10 of 12.
