ANAHEIM, Calif. – Even after right-hander Albert Suárez provided the Orioles with another scoreless outing and after they got homers from James McCann and Colton Cowser and after Adley Rutschman drove in two and after the bullpen bent but didn’t break in the seventh and eighth, there was still heavy lifting to do.

Real heavy, as in right-handed closer Craig Kimbrel needing to get three-time MVP Mike Trout out with two outs, bases loaded and the O’s clinging to a 4-2 lead.

Trout was all that stood in the way of the Orioles winning Game No. 15, moving into first place and Kimbrel recording his 423^rd career save to pass former teammate Billy Wagner for seventh all-time.

Just get out the guy that had already hit eight homers this season and has a .992 career OPS.

As Trout moved to the plate, he was 1-for-3 with two career walks and a single versus Kimbrel. If he produced another single, he would likely tie this game. If he did bigger damage, the Angels could have a walk-off win and the Orioles a devastating loss.

Right-hander Max Scherzer started the 89th All-Star Game and finished two innings. He allowed an Aaron Judge solo shot, one of only two hits in his outing. Scherzer struck out four batters and walked one. The AL defeated the NL 8-6 in 10 innings thanks to All-Star Game MVP Alex Bregman's tiebreaking solo homer in the 10th. The 14 runs were the most combined runs scored in an All-Star game since 2002. The walk Scherzer allowed came in the top of the first. After striking out Mookie Betts and...

The two best hitters in the American League beat the National League's two best pitchers in Tuesday night's All-Star Game at Nationals Park. The AL's Aaron Judge hit a home run against the NL's Max Scherzer in the first inning. In the third inning, the AL's Mike Trout connected against Jacob deGrom. The Nationals' Scherzer and the Mets' deGrom will be NL Cy Young candidates this season. Trout and Judge finished one-two in the AL MVP voting last year and could be near the top in the...

As we continue our Throwback Thursday posts, we'll defer to Bob Carpenter and his handy-dandy scorebook for this week's memorable moment from last season. We rarely get to see two of the best players in baseball go head to head, with Bryce Harper playing in the National League East and Mike Trout in the American League West. But the stars aligned - so to speak - in 2017 as the former MVPs met in, where else, the City of Angels for a two-game set. And, boy, did they put on a show from the...

One reason the Nationals defeated the Angels in the series opener was their ability to prevent Mike Trout from launching a game-changing hit. He did have a scorching single up the middle in the Angels' best chance to score in the sixth, but Gio Gonzalez did a nice job of working out of the difficult situation and keep them off the board. The Nationals ended up with a 3-1 win. Howie Kendrick, who crushed two homers for the Nats, knows from experience how good Trout is, and it starts with the...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - On his 26th birthday, Mike Trout hit a huge homer. Moments later, 25-year-old Manny Machado trumped him. With the game tied 2-2 and the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the seventh, Machado hit a rocket grand slam to left to provide a 6-2 lead. The Orioles won by that score tonight over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They started a 10-game West Coast trip in impressive fashion and moved to within 1 ½ games of the second AL wild card spot. They also get back to...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - With a road record of 20-33 for the season, the Orioles play in Anaheim tonight to begin a three-game series versus the Los Angeles Angels. It is the first stop of a 10-game, three-city road trip. It is an important stretch for the Orioles, who are in fourth place in the AL East (7 ½ games out). They are 2 ½ games back for the second AL wild card spot. At 55-56, the Orioles look to get to .500 for the first time since June 29. They have won two in a row, seven of nine...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Maybe it was the presence of Mike Trout in the opposing dugout. Maybe it was the knowledge he was getting the next day off. Maybe it was just another ballgame and the opportunity to show off his skills like he does so many other nights. Whatever the case, it was hard to watch Tuesday night's game at Angel Stadium and not believe Bryce Harper was particularly motivated to do something special. And Harper indeed did something special during the Nationals' 4-3 victory. He went...

Mike Trout and Kris Bryant were named the American and National League MVPs, begging a question: Does this mean that the Baseball Writers' Association of America will judge MVP candidates by different standards in the coming years? Both vote totals are a victory for the new-age sabermetrics statistic called WAR - wins above replacement. Although debatable about what it means, WAR tries to summarize a players' all-around ability in one number. Both second-place finishers - the Nationals'...

There's a thin line between rumors and speculation. This is the time of year when everybody is trying to predict who will get moved where and for how much. The latest bit of speculation about the Nationals would be game-changing. While Reynaldo Lopez didn't get great results in his debut, his strikeout ability and velocity were on display and there were flashes of the promise. Trea Turner flashed his speed and stole home last night. Lucas Giolito had a good but abridged first outing with the...

He got the start in the first game of this season, and today Orioles' right-hander Chris Tillman gets the call in the last game of the first half. Tillman (11-2, 3.55 ERA) faces Los Angeles Angels' right-hander Tim Lincecum (1-2, 7.50 ERA) in the finale before the All-Star break. Tillman is indeed having the bounce-back season the Orioles had hoped for. He has recorded 10 quality starts and pitched seven innings or more six times. The O's are a robust 15-3 (.833) when he has started. The...

Bryce Harper. Those two words dominated headlines not just in Washington, D.C., but all around baseball this past week - whether it was for his lack of hustle in Saturday's game against the Cardinals or for his hyped matchup with the Angels' Mike Trout. Here are a few headlines you may have missed from other media outlets regarding Harper and the Nationals. * Manager Matt Williams has received praise from many in the media over the way he handled the Harper situation. FOXSports.com's...

The agent for Angels star Mike Trout was not happy over the weekend when the team renewed the contract for its star center fielder. Trout was given a salary of $510,000 - just $20,000 over the big league minimum - for the 2013 season. "During the process, on behalf of Mike, I asked only that the Angels compensate Mike fairly for his historic 2012 season, given his service time," agent Craig Landis said in a statement. "This contract falls well short of a 'fair' contract and I have voiced...

Outfielder Bryce Harper rested for eight innings Sunday. Back in the lineup Monday, he picked up where he left off with an RBI single in the first inning that scored Steve Lombardozzi. Harper finished 3-4 with two runs, a walk, a stolen base and an RBI, and is now hitting .295. .295? Yes, this rookie is here to stay. There was a recent article in USA Today about how important rookie Mike Trout was to the Angels' turnaround, saying that Trout had more of an impact on his team's play than...

Before the season, the Nationals focused on acquiring a starting center fielder. Some talks centered around Los Angeles Angels outfielder Peter Bourjos. With injuries to the Nationals outfielders, especially to starting right fielder Jayson Werth, this FOXSports.com report indicates those talks may be heating up. The 25-year old Bourjos has seen his playing time dwindle ever since the Angels called up prospect Mike Trout. Bourjos is batting .192 through 21 games this season, but hit .271 with...