The Orioles saw their starter give up just five hits and two runs in seven innings tonight. But it didn't lead to a win.
Jered Weaver allowed just three hits and one run over 7 1/3 innings as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Orioles 3-1 at Camden Yards, dropping the O's record to 15-18.
"He's the same guy he's been for a number of years," Chris Davis said. "He moves the ball around and throws a lot of strikes. Tough guy to face, man.
"He's a guy that if you go up there and try to get too aggressive, he uses that against you. But at the same time, if you go up there and try to take pitches, you will be behind."
Weaver is a master of disrupting hitters' timing when he is on his game.
"Deception is so much a part of his game," Davis said. "He steps to third base and throws across his body. He changes your eye level. The crazy thing about his curveball is he throws it 64 mph and I feel like he can put it wherever he wants. We wanted to get (Wei-Yin) Chen a win. We take every loss pretty hard here, try to learn from them, make adjustments and move forward."
Shortstop J.J. Hardy was just 3-for-23 in his career against Weaver but went 2-for-3 tonight with a solo homer in the eighth.
"The one at-bat I remember is where (Mike) Trout robbed me in right-center. He's funky. Tonight, I don't know, maybe he just left a couple out over the middle of the plate," Hardy said.
Catcher Caleb Joseph talked about Chen's strong outing and the frustration that the Orioles could not turn that into a win tonight.
"Wei-Yin did a great job," Joseph said. "Gave us a chance to win, but we could not scratch out anything against their guy. He kept us off the barrel. He mixed speeds and locations.
"It does stink when you pitch so well and you have a chance to win that ballgame and we just can't get anything going on offense. Nine times out of 10 we can manufacture a run here or there or get guys on base and pressure the defense. But we just couldn't do it today.
"Offensively we are still looking for that stride where we can get rolling - four, five or six games in a row and start getting really comfortable. We've got to find a way to scratch out a couple of runs there."
Chen recorded his fourth straight quality start and has allowed two earned runs or less for six consecutive starts.
"Overall I felt pretty good," Chen said through his interpreter. "There were a couple of bumpy innings in the first two innings. But I made an adjustment and pitched deep into the game and that is what I am happy about."
He was pleased to pitch seven or more innings for the second game in a row and for the third time in his last four starts.
"Of course it is (important) because as a starter for me the baseline is six innings and I am happy I could go through seven."
Los Angeles scored a run each off Chen in the first two innings, including an Albert Pujols homer in the top of the first. It was career homer No. 526 for the Angels slugger.
"It wasn't really a bad pitch, but in that at-bat, I threw one pitch to the same location," Chen said. "So he already saw a pitch in that location and he made me pay. All I can do is try to make an adjustment not to make the same mistake again."
Chen is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA over his past four starts. The O's fall to 22-4 when Chen pitches at least seven innings and this was their first such loss since Aug. 15, 2014 at Cleveland. Tonight was the O's first loss at home (now 6-1) when their starter goes at least seven innings.
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