Game update and Paredes as DH (Hardy homers, O's lose 3-1)

Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen struck out Mike Trout on a slider in the first inning tonight, then served up a home run to Albert Pujols on a 92 mph fastball.

The game wasn't scoreless for long.

Chen threw 14 of his 18 pitches for strikes. He got too much of the plate with Pujols, who's now 2-for-6 with two home runs against him.

Jimmy Paredes walked in the bottom of the first, continuing his knack for getting on base.

Paredes is making his 19th start tonight as the designated hitter, a role that he's embraced this season with the Orioles.

Paredes played in three games as a DH before this season, all of them off the bench last summer with the Royals. He never got an at-bat.

The adjustment has been seamless for Paredes, 26, who's batting .364 in 21 games since coming off the disabled list. He's totaled seven doubles, two triples, five home runs, 18 RBIs and 16 runs scored.

Paredes is riding a 12-game hitting streak since May 1 and has collected a hit in 19 of 21 games. Fourteen of his 32 hits have gone for extra bases.

"I don't want to underestimate it, but he's looking for an opportunity and he's running with it," said manager Buck Showalter. "That's it. He's not complaining about his playing time.

"I try to keep (his inexperience) in mind a little bit, but I think he's a little more cerebral hitter than some people give him credit for. You see them get him out one way, one time, be careful going there again. You see him look off-balanced on an off-speed pitch to finish an at-bat. You don't stay in one place on Jimmy all the time. He'll make an adjustment. That's what's been probably the most impressive thing."

Paredes may not have the traditional look of a designated hitter, but how many teams carry a veteran on the roster who fits the profile? How many teams have a Jim Thome clone?

The short list starts with Boston's David Ortiz.

"The day of the veteran DH, who is it?" Showalter said. "I think that's one of the evolving things in our game. The Jim Thomes, the Vladimir Guerreros, how many of them are there? Ortiz and who? (Kendrys) Morales, Billy Butler, that doesn't happen much anymore.

"One of the goals and challenges as we go forward with Jimmy is where he's going to play. I've already talked to Wayne Kirby and some of our people about him in winter ball and instructional league with the potential of the outfield. He's going to have plenty of arm and plenty of foot speed.

"He did it a little bit this year, but I want to get a little more hands-on with it with our guys."

Update: The Angels increased their lead to 2-0 in the second on Erick Aybar's leadoff double and Carlos Perez's sacrifice fly to shallow right field.

Delmon Young's throw was off line and Chris Davis cut it off.

Left fielder Alejandro De Aza took a poor route on Aybar's fly ball and couldn't reach it.

Davis struck out in the bottom of the second - his 51st in 32 games. He whiffed on a 64 mph curveball from Jered Weaver.

Update II: Chen walked the leadoff batter in the eighth and was replaced by Tommy Hunter. He allowed two runs and five hits in seven-plus innings, with two walks, seven strikeouts and a home run.

Chen threw 95 pitches, 64 strikes.

The Orioles have two hits - singles by J.J. Hardy in the second and Adam Jones in the seventh.

Update III: Hardy led off the bottom of the eighth with a home run to cut the lead to 2-1. Hardy has two homers and two RBIs in eight games this season.

Hardy was 3-for-23 against Weaver before tonight. Reliever Joe Smith has replaced Weaver with one out.

Update IV: Game over. The Orioles lose to the Angels 3-1 and fall three below .500 for the fifth time this season.

The Angels scored a run off Hunter in the top of the ninth on two singles and Johnny Giavotella's sacrifice fly.

Paredes' hitting streak ended at 12 games.