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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- If Parker Bridwell felt any tension about facing his former organization, he certainly didn't show it. The Los Angeles Angels rookie right-hander pitched seven strong innings Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing one run and six hits as the Los Angeles took a 3-2 win to snap a three-game losing streak.
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Bridwell (6-1) didn't walk a batter, struck out four and worked out of a fifth-inning jam after the Orioles strung together three hits for a run. It was his seventh quality effort in 10 starts in 2017, and the Angels are now 10-1 in the 11 games he has pitched this season.
"At the end, it felt a little sweeter," Bridwell said of beating the Orioles, the team that drafted him in 2010 and traded him early this season. "But I just wanted to execute my pitches like it was a regular start.
"The fifth inning was big, I got a couple of pitches up but was able to minimize the damage."
The inning ended with left fielder Cameron Maybin making a diving catch of a sinking line drive off the bat of Manny Machado.
"It's almost like a normal occurrence with Cam," Bridwell said. "He's such a great defensive player."
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, "Parker pitched a real strong game. When you're facing your former team and you know the guys who were former teammates, it can be a distraction. Parker has great poise, and you saw that trait tonight."
Jeremy Hellickson, making his second start for Baltimore since being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies, held the Angels to two hits while striking out nine through six innings. However, Los Angeles collected four consecutive hits to start the seventh and scored two runs to snap a 1-1 tie.
Kole Calhoun and Andrelton Simmons singled to left, and Luis Valbuena sliced a double off the base of the short wall in left field to score Calhoun and make it 2-1. C.J. Cron delivered a single to left to score Simmons, ending Hellickson's night. Darren O'Day relieved and worked out of the two-on, no-out jam without another surrendering run.
Hellickson (7-6 overall, 1-1 with Baltimore) yielded three runs on six hits and a walk in six-plus innings. The nine K's were his season high.
Bridwell was a ninth-round pick in 2010 by the Orioles and was once considered one of the top pitching prospects in the system. The organization thought he hit a plateau in 2015 and moved him into a bullpen role in the minors last season. He made two appearances for the Orioles in 2016, allowing five runs in 3 1/3 innings.
The Angels acquired him in an April trade. He pitched six innings in a win over Atlanta in an emergency start in late May. Bridwell was recalled in mid-June and made one relief appearance before going into the rotation.
Cam Bedrosian relieved Bridwell in the eighth Tuesday, and a two-base throwing error by Valbuena and bloop single by Machado put runners on the corners with no outs. Bedrosian rallied, striking out Jonathan Schoop and Chris Davis and retiring Trey Mancini on a fly to left.
Caleb Joseph hit his seventh home run of the season with two outs in the ninth off rookie Keynan Middleton to make it 3-2, but Middleton got through the inning for his first save.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter was pleased with Hellickson's second effort and didn't assign the loss any greater significance than he did Monday's win. The Orioles are in the first series of a 10-game West Coast road trip.
"We've gotten two well-pitched games to start the trip, and it's going to be a tough trip," he said. "The Angels are the only team that's been playing better than Kansas City when we played them. Seattle is making moves to improve for the wild-card race. And in Oakland, you never know what you're going to get."
Hellickson struck out Albert Pujols to the end the sixth on a check swing after plate umpire Paul Nauert deferred the call to first base umpire Ramon De Jesus. Pujols briefly argued the call at the plate and was tossed after reaching the dugout. Scioiscia came out to protest Pujols' ejection and was also tossed.
It was Pujols' first ejection of the season and eighth of his career. Scioscia was tossed for the first time this year and the 44th time in his managerial career.
"I didn't see Albert do anything but raise his hand," Scioscia said. "I think it was an overreaction. That's a pretty important guy to throw out."
Simmons singled and stole second in the second inning and scored on Cron's single to give the Angels a 1-0 lead. It was Simmons' 17th steal this year and the team's American League-leading 100th.
The Orioles had three straight hits to start the fifth and tie the score. Tim Beckham singled to extend his hitting streak to eight games since being traded to the Orioles. Seth Smith hit a hard but catchable liner off the glove of Cron for a double that sent Beckham to third, and Joseph followed with a line single to center to score Beckham, with Smith stopping at third.
Bridwell got out of the jam. Joey Rickard hit a grounder to third, and Valbuena threw Smith out at home. Adam Jones struck out on a breaking ball in the dirt, and Maybin made a nice catch in left of Machado's line drive.
NOTES: Angels 3B Yunel Escobar underwent an MRI exam Monday and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 oblique strain. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list. RHP Eduardo Paredes was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake. ... Angels SS Andrelton Simmons has a hit in 16 of his past 17 games. ... Los Angeles DH Albert Pujols is 2-for-29 in his past seven games. ... Orioles 1B Mark Trumbo is expected to be activated from the disabled list and return to the lineup Wednesday in the series finale against the Angels. He has been out with a ribcage strain. ... Orioles INF Ryan Flaherty (right shoulder strain) is hitting .378 through 11 minor league rehab games, but there is no timetable for a return to the major league roster.
