O's debut two pitchers, but revert to old ways in 7-1 loss (with quotes)

David Hess was introduced the Mike Trout tonight. Not on the field during batting practice or in the portion of the tunnel that connects the clubhouses. From 60 feet, six inches away in the top of the first inning.

The advance meeting didn't include instructions that Hess feed Trout a belt-high fastball over the plate. It just worked out that way. Trout spun around and watched its flight - over the corner of the Orioles' bullpen near the batters eye, an estimated 408 feet with an exit velocity of 107.6 mph per Statcast.

Trout reeled in another one.

The Orioles wanted to release this game, like so many others in 2018.

Hess grazed Trout with a pitch in the next at-bat and surrendered two more runs, and the Orioles extended their losing streak to six games with a 7-1 loss to the Angels before an announced crowd of 24,007 at sweltering Camden Yards.

The freefall is picking up speed. The Orioles are 23-58 overall and 11-28 at home. They've lost 16 of their last 17 games at Camden Yards and are 0-14 versus the American League West. Tonight marked the 22nd time they've been held to one run or fewer and the 34th time they've scored two or fewer.

Adam Jones' run-scoring single in the ninth inning off Eduardo Paredes prevented the ninth shutout.

Making only his third major league start, all of them in June, Felix Peña shut out the Orioles on five singles over 5 1/3 innings.

The game also featured the major league debuts of Ryan Meisinger and Paul Fry. Meisinger went 1 2/3 innings and surrendered Martin Maldonado's home run leading off the eighth. Fry replaced him with one out and tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

The Orioles have used 43 players this season.

The ninth start of Hess' major league career lasted 5 2/3 innings and he was behind 6-0. The end came after the Angels scored three runs in the sixth, aided again by a defensive lapse.

Hess has surrendered 21 runs and 26 hits over 17 2/3 innings in his last four starts to leave his ERA at 5.94.

Hess allowed three hits in the first inning, but surrendered only one run while throwing 18 pitches - a reasonable total considering the number of baserunners. He failed to get a glove on Justin Upton's bouncer past the mound after he hit Trout in the third and Andrelton Simmons poked an RBI single up the middle. Luis Valbuena's fielder's choice grounder increased the lead to 3-0.

Simmons led off the sixth with a double and moved to third on Valbuena's fly ball that left fielder Trey Mancini lost in the lights. Mancini didn't get close to the ball and compounded the issue by throwing home and allowing Valbuena to cruise into second.

Manny Machado threw home on Maldonado's grounder with one out, but Simmons was ruled safe upon review. David Fletcher's RBI double and Kole Calhoun's sacrifice fly gave the Angels a 6-0 lead and Hess was gone after an intentional walk to Trout.

Meisinger became the 24th Maryland-born player to appear in a game for the Orioles when he retired Upton on a fly ball to right field to strand two runners while family and friends cheered and high-fived in front of the press box.

The first major league strikeout for Meisinger arrived in the seventh after Albert Pujols' leadoff double, but Simmons reached on a wild pitch. A shallow fly ball and double play brought another ovation from his section.

Fry struck out Calhoun and Trout to end the eighth, the latter on a 90 mph cutter. The best walk of his life carried him back to the dugout.

Upton led off the ninth with a single, but Fry fielded Pujols' comebacker to start a double play. Simmons singled with two outs and Valbuena flied out.

This is the second time that the Orioles had two pitchers make their major league debuts in the same game, following Pedro Araujo and Nestor Cortes Jr. on March 31. Prior to this season, it hadn't happened since Paul Gilliford and Tom Fisher on Sept. 20, 1967.

The Orioles put two runners on base in the first and third innings and hit into double plays. Trout ran down Danny Valencia's fly ball near the track in right-center field to end the fourth, leaping to make the grab and prevent a run from scoring.

Three leadoff singles and three wasted opportunities. And it became four and four after Mancini opened the sixth with his second hit of the night and Machado grounded into a double play against reliever Cam Bedrosian.

Mancini tied his career high with three hits, including a leadoff double in the ninth, and he raced home on Jones' single down the right field line.

Mark Trumbo's hitting streak ended at 12 games.

Showalter on Hess: "The ball to Trout, he's trying to go down and away and center-cut it. The results were OK, but not as good as you need. He's pitched better, especially early on. A bit more of a challenge recently, but you could say that about a lot of guys.

"The ball that got lost in the twilight, there's no worse feeling. I think everybody's had it happen. About a five-to-seven minute period where the team's been standing out there and everybody in the ballpark knows where the ball is except you. It's a horrible feeling, but it happens."

Showalter on whether Hess could be replaced: "Dylan (Bundy) had a good work day today, See how some things pan out. Chris (Tillman) is pitching in Norfolk tomorrow. There's a lot of things moving around. I'm certainly not going to have a young pitcher who's pitched well at times for us to start having me ...

"Knowing David, he's very competitive. He's really got to command the fastball. If it doesn't work out there, there's potential for another role. But we're looking for starters and he's showed he can do it."

Showalter on whether season is hard on him: "No, not on me. It's been tougher on our fans and our players. I don't look at it that way. All things considered, it's an unbelievable way to do something you love and be able to pay the bills with it. As tough or as bad as things have been for 81 games, they can be just as good the other way around.

"I was talking to Jon about that today, Schoop. You've got 81 games that you struggle and now you can have 81 games that you go the other way. I just really, there's some really good people in that locker room and I'd really like to see them get a return for what (they've put into it). But you can't will it. You can't just hope. "

Showalter on what makes him think second half will be better: "Well, we're going to have some opportunities for some people that didn't get (them). We also came from that (Atlanta trip) and we lost Dylan and we lost Darren (O'Day), that's a kick in the pants. But we'll start getting those people back.

"I just think people have a track record that at some point,- and I know that everybody might get tired of hearing that, sometimes you don't play to your track record the whole season, individuals. So, that's realistic. But usually history tells you people seek it a little bit more over the long haul. I'm ready for that. I think we all are."

Showalter on whether O'Day decided on surgery: "I haven't heard that yet. We're not going to press him. That's a big decision in his life either way. Did they put him on the 60? Either way, it's a long period of time, which is very revealing to everybody how serious a hamstring is. I'm not going to say what I hope he'll do or doesn't do ... Either way, we're going to get him back at some point."

Showalter on Meisinger and Fry: "That's great. I take a lot out of that. They've got a lot of juice flying around there. We actually had Paul here (in April 2017), but he didn't pitch and Ryan was scuffling for tickets. Starting last night until today, I asked him if he needed any. I don't know if I had any, but that's special, OK? You work your whole life as a young man and a kid growing up to get that opportunity.

"Like I told them coming in, 'Just play catch with Chance (Sisco).' I told them in the outfield today, 'Don't let anyone tell you [otherwise], just trust yourself. These guys will make outs. You make good pitches, you're going to get them out.' The mistakes go a little bit further."

Hess on Trout home run: "I mean, you're going to give up home runs. The best pitchers do, so I think just realizing that that's going to happen and just get back to work. That's what I tried to focus on doing."

Hess on critiquing start: "I think there were things to build off of. I think that in some tight situations I made some good pitches and our defense made some great plays and I'm happy I allowed them to do what they do on a regular basis. Chance called a great game back there. I think going forward, just being a little finer in the details of everything.

"Obviously, that's not good enough. I didn't give our team a chance to win. I think that going forward, finding a way to minimize those tough situations better."

Hess on how to get back to where he was earlier: "I think there were steps made towards that again today. I talked about before the start being aggressive and going right at the hitters, and I think for the most part I was able to do that. That's something that's good going forward, and a lot of times those are not going to fall in as hits. There was a little bit of that, but like I said, fine-tuning, making sure off-speed pitches are able to be thrown for strikes and put-away pitches as well, and then fastball command. Just fine tuning."

Meisinger on whether he had fun: "It was a blast. It's kind of different because I have mixed emotions we lost, but it was a dream come true."

Meisinger on whether he heard cheering section: "I didn't. I just thought everybody was pretty loud. I heard something when they announced my name, but yeah, it was really cool."

Meisinger on nerves warming up: "When I was warming up I was everywhere, but once I got the first pitch over for a strike I kind of settled down."

Mancini on improved hitting: "It's nice, but at the same time you want to win games. Just trying to work on some things offensively, but hopefully we can string a couple wins together these next couple days."

Mancini on losing fly ball: "Not lights, right when it hit the sky. I saw it when he made contact, saw it whenever it was in the stands and once it hit the sky, there's always a couple minute span every night where you just lose it. It happened to me once last year. I didn't see it until it hit the ground.

"It's the most helpless feeling in the world. But I tried looking for it desperately, obviously. And it stinks, too. It goes down as a hit and David had been rolling here. Yeah, I just didn't see it."

Mancini on what needs to change in second half: "It's kind of hard to big picture. You just try to take it day by day. That's all you can do and just work on little things and play as a team. Kind of like we did in that Atlanta series.

"Some good things happened and there was kind of a different energy about us. So, hopefully we can get back to that here and play well this second half."