The Los Angeles Angels and the Baltimore Orioles likely will be happy to see each other on Friday night when they play the first contest of a three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.

Both teams have struggled most of the season, and in fact, only the Chicago White Sox have a worse record in the American League.

The Orioles come in fresh off a sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins, and have lost five in a row overall, including a 5-2 loss on Thursday. It’s been a sharp turnaround coming off a season in which they won 91 games and reached the playoffs as a wild card.

Dealing with the failure in the moment and figuring out how to fix things going forward is what is going through the minds of the Orioles players.

“I still do believe that it’s still early. It’s really hard to not be able to go to the playoffs in the first few weeks of the season,” pitcher Dean Kremer said. “But guys are taking the losses hard and the wins are awesome, when we get them. Just trying to take it one day at a time and try to keep things as positive as possible.”

Said outfielder Heston Kjerstad: “None of us are enjoying losing. It definitely takes a toll on us. You show up every day and you want to win, so going home with a loss is never the funnest way to go home.”

Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (3-2, 3.00 ERA) will make his eighth start of the season for Baltimore. He’s coming off a loss in his last start, but pitched well, allowing two runs and four hits in six innings in a 4-0 setback to the Kansas City Royals.

Sugano, who signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Orioles after 12 seasons in Japan, will be facing the Angels for the first time.

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks (1-3, 5.28) will make his seventh start of the season for Los Angeles, coming off his longest start in three years. He gave up one run on four hits and no walks in 7 2/3 innings last Saturday in a victory over the Detroit Tigers.

It was the deepest he has pitched in a game since throwing 8 2/3 scoreless innings against the San Diego Padres in a 6-0 victory on May 9, 2022. It also was his first win of the season after signing with the Angels in the off-season.

“I felt much better about the ball coming out, deception stuff, a couple of things we changed mechanically,” Hendricks said. “It’s just a matter of execution and not tipping (pitches).”

With a fastball that rarely touches 90 mph, Hendricks knows keeping hitters guessing is his path to success.

“He was back-dooring pitches, he used his changeup, he got ahead of them with his breaking stuff, and he was able to recognize when he can shoot that 88 mph fastball,” Angels manager Ron Washington said of Hendricks’ performance last Saturday. “It looks like he’s throwing 98 mph when you know how to pitch, which he does, and things fall into place with his sequencing.”

Hendricks is 1-0 with a 5.14 ERA in two career starts against Baltimore.

– Field Level Media