Angels lose because Joe Smith has butter fingers from playing in the buttercup.

Angels 2 Orioles 3

Ji-Man Choi is back no thanks to Mike Wright who broke CJ Cron's hand in last night's game.  Also back on the roster is Geovany Soto who did not start this game.  In a semi-surprise move, Carlos Perez was sent down to Salt Lake to work on his swing.

Nick Tropeano was doing his K thing early in this game and struck out 2 in the first.  Unfortunately, Mark Trumbo hit yet another home run to lead off the 2nd inning but then pretty much nothing else happened until the 6th.  NiTro kept striking out batters and the Angels kept struggling to hit.  By the time the 5th inning was over, Tropeano had struck out 7.  The Angels tried to rally in the top of the 5th when Jett Bandy hit a deep ball to the left center gap.  Unfortunately, he is not fast and Adam Jones is really good at baseball.  Jones played the hop off the wall beautiful and bare-handed it with a perfect throw in that nabbed Bandy at second.

Things finally got moving for the Halos in the 6th when the Angels loaded the bases on 3 straight batters.  Daniel Nava hit a single off the base of the right field wall and both Calhoun and Trout came in to score.  Angels had the lead late in the game.  What??  Nava's hit turned out to be the knockout blow to starter Yovani Gallardo.  Unfortunately, those would be the only runs the Angels would score that inning after Johnny Giavotella flied out and Jett Bandy grounded into a double play.

It was slightly puzzling that JC Ramirez would come in to the pitch the 7th in a one-run game, but that's exactly what happened.  Ramirez put the first two runners on base and they were advanced over to 2nd and 3rd by a Joey Rickard sac bunt.  Simmons saved the day with an overhead basket catch in centerfield that he had no business catching.  That ball was destined to drop and possibly score two runs, but Simba had other plans.  Joe Smith came in to finish the inning and literally DROPPED THE BALL.  In a move I have never seen in my life, Joe Smith literally dropped the ball while on the mound, causing a balk and leading to the tying run scoring from 3rd.  It's almost as if he said "What's a new way I can try to wreck a baseball game?"

Mike Scioscia decided to leave Smith in for the 8th inning and Smith gave up 3 singles, plus the lead.  The buttercup he started in the prior inning was now complete.  Giavotella, Bandy, and Simmons couldn't muster anything in the 9th against Zach Britton and the game was lost.  But hey!  How about that Simmons play????