ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Mike Trout delivered his 1,000th career hit with a cracking double down the line. Two innings later, he homered on his birthday for the fourth time in his six big league seasons.
Moments after that, Manny Machado made sure Trout’s birthday gifts didn’t include a victory.
Trout reached another milestone and hit another homer on his 26th birthday, but Machado hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the seventh inning of the Baltimore Orioles’ 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
“A lot of good things happened tonight,” manager Buck Showalter said after Baltimore got back to .500 for the first time since June 29. “Everybody got to see a 1,000th hit, and we won the game, so it’s another milestone.”
After surviving a pregame shower of eggs, cream, shampoo and various unmentionables from his teammates, Trout doubled in the fourth inning to become the 11th player with 1,000 hits in an Angels uniform. The two-time AL MVP then tied it in the sixth, sending his 23rd homer of the season high off the left-field pole.
“It means a lot,” Trout said. “A lot of milestones with hits. You see (Adrian) Beltre, he just hit his 3,000th. Pretty incredible. I felt pretty good. I just wanted to get it over with. A lot of people talking about it.”
But Machado connected moments later against J.C. Ramirez (10-10) for his fifth career grand slam.
Dylan Bundy (11-8) recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts while pitching seven innings of five-hit ball for the Orioles.
“Just a real mature effort,” Showalter said. “He managed the game real well. It was fun to watch.”
Baltimore (56-56) won the opener of a three-game series between two teams on the fringe of the AL wild-card race. The Orioles have won eight of 10, while Los Angeles has followed up a 6-1 stretch with three straight losses.
TROUT’S TIME
Trout got a standing ovation after reaching the latest milestone of his precocious career with his 1,000th hit. The Big A crowd also sang “Happy Birthday” to Trout a few minutes earlier.
Trout joined Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx and Mickey Mantle as the only players to compile 1,000 hits, 500 runs and 500 walks by their age-25 season. Trout already was the only player to get 150 homers, 400 extra-base hits and 150 stolen bases before his 26th birthday.
“When you hear your name with the greats, the Hall of Famers when you do something, it makes you feel good,” he said. “It makes you feel special just to be a part of such a good company, but for me, it’s just going out there and playing. I’m not trying to chase any numbers.”
AUGUST 7
Baltimore went ahead with RBIs by Joey Rickard and Adam Jones in the fifth, but Trout tied it with another birthday homer. He also did it in 2012, 2013 and 2015, becoming the youngest player in big league history to accomplish the feat four times.
“I’m not thinking about homers,” Trout said. “I just go out there, try to hit the ball hard, and that one went out of the park.”
FOR GROOVE
Every player from both clubs took the field before the game for a moment of silence and a poignant video tribute to Don Baylor, who died of cancer Monday. Baylor played six seasons for each club, enjoying most of his best playing days in these uniforms - including his 1979 MVP season with the then-California Angels. Baylor was Angels manager Mike Scioscia’s hitting coach in 2014 and 2015.
“He was an incredible human being,” Scioscia said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Longtime Angels slugger and Anaheim native Mark Trumbo remained out since July 29 with a rib injury. He could return during this series.
Angels: LF Cameron Maybin went 1 for 4 in his first game since spraining his left knee ligament July 18.
UP NEXT
Orioles: Jeremy Hellickson (7-5, 4.45 ERA) looked sharp in his Baltimore debut last week, throwing seven scoreless innings against Kansas City in his first appearance since arriving in a trade with Philadelphia.
Angels: Parker Bridwell (5-1, 3.20 ERA) faces the team that drafted him in 2010 and traded him for scraps in April. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.56 ERA in his last five starts, and the Angels are 9-1 when he pitches.
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