Tyler Anderson gives up six runs in Angels’ loss to Orioles

BALTIMORE — The assignment for Tyler Anderson was to do what so many other left-handed pitchers have done to the Baltimore Orioles this season.

The Orioles came into the game as the worst-hitting team in the majors against lefties, and they still scored six runs against Anderson in the Angels’ 6-5 loss Saturday afternoon.

The Orioles’ .557 OPS against lefties ranked dead last in the majors. The Orioles had lost 15 of their first 19 games against lefty starters.

The Angels will send lefty Yusei Kikuchi to the mound to try to avoid a sweep Sunday.

Anderson had given up three runs – two of them because of defensive mistakes – through five innings, and had a 4-3 lead when he took the mound in the sixth.

Anderson walked Ramon Laureano, and then threw a first-pitch changeup over the middle of the plate, and Cedric Mullins – a left-handed hitter – hit a two-run homer. Anderson then gave up a homer to Gary Sanchez on a 3-and-2 changeup over the middle.

Before that inning, Anderson was mostly doing the job. He would have allowed just one run in five innings if the Angels (33-36) had played tighter defense in the third.

With two outs and no one on, shortstop Zach Neto failed to come up with a ball to his left. It was scored an infield hit. Catcher Logan O’Hoppe then lost track of a ball in the dirt just long enough to let Adley Rutschman take second. He scored on a single.

The Angels couldn’t do enough at the plate to overcome their deficiencies on the mound and at the plate, but they did have a few encouraging performances.

Luis Rengifo, who has been in a slump all season, hit two homers, one from each side of the plate. His only other homer this season was April 5. Rengifo’s first homer briefly gave the Angels a 4-3 lead in the top of the sixth. His second cut a two-run deficit in half in the eighth.

Taylor Ward had three hits, including a game-tying double in the fifth.

After a torrid May, Ward has been in a slump in early June. Manager Ron Washington gave him Friday off, which allowed for two straight days off because there was no game Thursday.

Mike Trout put the Angels on the board first with a two-run homer in the first inning, his 11th homer of the season. Trout also drew two walks.

More to come on this story.