Andy Kostka

Share this via... LOS ANGELES — The ninth inning brought more sweat-inducing baseball for the Orioles.

California issued a state of emergency for Los Angeles County as the smoke from the fire billowed over the city's sprawl. But this series finale between the Dodgers and Orioles goes on as planned.

As the dust settles on the Orioles' matchup with the best team in baseball, there is no forgetting the ninth-inning issues of Friday and Saturday. But overshadowing those blips were two good outings and one great one from starting pitchers and a series of strong offensive showings.

Alexander, a member of a baseball-obsessed family, first felt the childhood wonder of this game by running around with his older brother and sister, CJ and Sloane, and all the other neighborhood kids.

The event runs from 5:30-8 p.m. at the team store, and parking in Lot A opens at 4:30.

Alexander was lifted from the game in the third inning. That’s when Baltimore put outfielder Leody Taveras at the hot corner, a position he has never played before.

This pauses Baltimore's momentum in an all-too familiar way, as well. The Orioles have won three straight games on six occasions. They've yet to win four straight games. Tuesday, the halfway mark of this 162-game season, would've been the fourth.

The Orioles lost to the Angels, 7-6, in the bottom of the 10th inning. They were on the verge of collecting the third out when an error occurred, and everything spiraled from there.

As of Thursday, Baltimore's 38-44 record found the team only two games back of the final wild-card spot in the mediocre American League. There are only five clubs with above-.500 records in the AL. Resting on one's laurels because of the second-rate opposition won't get the Orioles far, but they hold out belief that these next 80 games can be better than the first 82.

In the meantime, Basallo is carrying a heavier load behind the plate, and he has been up to the task. He proved it out west.