Percival gives up grand slam in 9th

Brian Roberts, second from left, handed Troy Percival his first blown save of the season. AP

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Brendan Donnelly gave up his first earned run of the season and Troy Percival was charged with his first blown save.

The hitters who tagged them were two players who were in the minor leagues a week ago.

Brian Roberts hit a grand slam in the ninth inning off Percival, rallying the Baltimore Orioles over the Anaheim Angels 7-4 Thursday night.

"I have only 10 home runs in pro ball, so I'm shocked any time I hit one -- no matter what the situation," Roberts said.

Carlos Mendez doubled against Donnelly in his first big league at-bat and scored on a double by Jay Gibbons, bringing the Orioles within a run in the eighth.

Percival, who had been 7-for-7 on save chances this year, failed to retire any of his first five batters in the ninth. The Orioles loaded the bases when Gary Matthews Jr. walked, Deivi Cruz singled and Geronimo Gil was hit by a pitch. Roberts followed by hitting a 3-2 pitch over the right-field fence for the first slam of his career.

Roberts was promoted from Class AAA on Wednesday when Jerry Hairston was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a broken foot. In the seventh, Roberts flied out with runners on second and third to end the inning.

Angels introduce Moreno ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- The Angels' new owner grinned, opened the big gift box and helped manager Mike Scioscia and general manager Bill Stoneman put on huge red sombreros. Arturo Moreno was introduced Thursday as the third owner of the Angels in their 43-year history after completing his $184 million purchase from The Walt Disney Co. "This is what I got for that," he said, laughing and holding up two keys to the stadium. FULL STORY

"I wanted to get another at-bat after the seventh," Roberts said. "That's probably as good as it gets. I was smiling ear to ear inside. I was just happy to be able to come here and contribute."

Willis Roberts (3-1) got the victory. Jorge Julio, pitching in his fifth straight game, got his 12th save in 15 chances.

Percival (0-2) took the loss while pitching for the first time in five days. He was pitching with some irritation in his right hip and that may have affected his mechanics, according to manager Mike Scioscia.

The Angels had been 20-0 when leading after eight innings, and their bullpen began the day with an AL-best 2.51 ERA.

"We've been doing OK, and we didn't do OK tonight," Donnelly said. "I gave up one and Percy struggled for whatever reason. It was a tough loss."

Donnelly relieved Angels starter Ramon Ortiz with runners at second and third in the seventh and retired Gil on a popup and Roberts on a flyout. But in the eighth, Donnelly gave up his first earned run this season after 24 1/3 innings.

Mendez, second in the International League with a .384 average when the Orioles promoted him from Class AAA Ottawa on Monday, drove an 0-2 pitch to the base of the fence in left-center while pinch-hitting for the slumping David Segui.

"I made a bad pitch with an 0-2 slider and he was hacking," Donnelly said. "As soon as he hit it, I thought it was a home run. But it stayed in the park."

One out later, Gibbons drove in Mendez with a looping double to left field. Donnelly then received applause from the crowd of 28,958 when his spotless ERA absorbed its first blemish.

"It was a good run, but it's over, and that's how it goes," Donnelly said. "Everybody made a bigger deal out of it than I did."

The Angels scored twice in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. Jason Johnson hit switch-hitter Scott Spiezio on the left knee to open the inning, Bengie Molina followed with an RBI double off the wall in right-center and David Eckstein drove in the go-ahead run with a one-out double to left-center.

The Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on a two-run single by Tony Batista, who had seven RBIs in the three-game series. One of those runs was unearned, the result of a throwing error by third baseman Troy Glaus on Jeff Conine's routine grounder.

Molina, Jeff DaVanon and Eckstein singled on consecutive pitches with one out in the third, and Molina scored Anaheim's first run as Adam Kennedy grounded into a forceout.

Notes: Anaheim scored first for the first time in eight games. In the previous seven, the Angels faced two deficits of 5-0, three of 4-0 and two of 2-0. ... Ortiz, who gave up a major league-high 40 homers last season, did not allow one for the third time in his 10 starts. ... B.J. Surhoff is expected to rejoin the Orioles on Friday in Arlington, Texas, but won't be activated from the DL until next Tuesday at the earliest. Surhoff, who went on the DL May 4 because of a strained right hamstring, was eligible to be activated last Saturday before injuring his left knee in baserunning drills.

 

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