ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run homer during Baltimore's four-run sixth inning, and Maverick Handley got his first two career RBIs in the Orioles' 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
Zach Eflin (3-1) pitched five innings of two-run ball in his return from a monthlong injury absence for the Orioles, who took two of three in this weekend series between last-place clubs. Baltimore finished its road trip by winning for only the second time in eight games.
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Los Angeles Angels' Jorge Soler (12) high fives teammates after scoring during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Kevin Newman (10) pats relief pitcher Connor Brogdon (75) on the back during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Baltimore Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle runs to first base during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Baltimore Orioles' Maverick Handley bunts during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Baltimore Orioles' Gunnar Henderson (2) high-fives teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Handley, the Orioles’ 27-year-old backup catcher, was playing in his fourth major league game. He drove in Emmanuel Rivera with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and his sacrifice bunt brought in Rivera again in the sixth.
Matthew Lugo hit his first career homer as a pinch-hitter in the ninth for the Halos, who went 4-6 on their 10-game homestand.
Tyler Anderson (2-1) yielded one earned run over five innings for the Angels, who committed two errors and several other fielding gaffes.
Adley Rutschman got credit for an RBI triple in the first when Taylor Ward lost his simple fly ball in the sun. Ward atoned later in the first, driving in Jorge Soler with a double and scoring on Logan O'Hoppe's single.
Ryan Mountcastle had an RBI single in the fifth after the Angels walked Tyler O'Neill to get to him.
Eflin had rough spots in his first start since April 7, yielding five hits and two walks, but he struck out five and provided a decent outing for a team struggling with its patchwork rotation.
Handley's RBI sacrifice bunt was the Orioles’ first since 2021.
Yusei Kikuchi (0-4, 3.83 ERA) takes his ninth shot at winning a game for his new team when the Angels visit the Padres on Monday. Cade Povich (1-3, 5.55 ERA) pitches at Camden Yards on Tuesday when the Orioles host Minnesota.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Los Angeles Angels' Jorge Soler (12) high fives teammates after scoring during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Kevin Newman (10) pats relief pitcher Connor Brogdon (75) on the back during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Baltimore Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle runs to first base during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Baltimore Orioles' Maverick Handley bunts during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Baltimore Orioles' Gunnar Henderson (2) high-fives teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The NFL set a record for fewest punts per game in 2025, and wild-card weekend was filled with fourth-down fun and folly as punters were mostly spectators, especially Chicago's Tory Taylor, who never stepped off the sideline in the Bears' come-from-behind win over the Green Bay Packers.
In all, teams converted 15 of 29 fourth down attempts on wild-card weekend, when there were only 41 punts, nine of them Monday night in the Houston Texans' 30-6 rout of Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bears first-year coach Ben Johnson was particularly aggressive, going for it a half-dozen times on fourth down Saturday night, including two backfires in the first half that led to a pair of Green Bay touchdowns and put the Bears in a 21-3 halftime hole.
Caleb Williams was intercepted on fourth-and-6 from the Packers 40-yard line, leading to Jordan Love's 18-yard touchdown throw, and Williams threw incomplete on fourth-and-5 from his own 32. That one led to Love's TD throw on fourth-and-goal from the Bears 2 that gave Green Bay an 18-point halftime cushion.
The Packers couldn't capitalize on another turnover on downs by Chicago just before halftime because Brandon McManus missed a 55-yard field goal on the final play after Williams threw incomplete deep on fourth-and-4 from the Green Bay 37.
When Prime Video's sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung asked the Bears' coach about his aggressive approach and going for it on fourth down multiple times on his own side of the field, Johnson replied, “Yeah, we want to maximize our possessions and we want to go for fourth-down plays."
Her follow-up was about how to slow down Green Bay's efficient offense.
“That's a big reason why we're being aggressive on offense, so that we can extend our drives and score points ourselves,” Johnson said. “It's a really good offense we're going against.”
Although the Bears would convert just twice on their six fourth downs — Green Bay was 3 for 3 on fourth down — that strategy paid off in the end. Williams threw a 27-yard pass to Rome Odunze to the Packers' 30-yard line, which led to the TD that pulled Chicago to 27-24 with 4:21 remaining.
Johnson said the game plan featured an aggressive fourth-down mentality, and "I think where it gets misconstrued is, there’s a lack of confidence in your defense when you do that. I think the opposite, I think it’s because I have confidence in our defense and their ability to stop teams in the red zone."
“I’m never going to apologize for being aggressive or doing things that might be a little unorthodox,” Johnson added, "if it’s what we deem is best for us to win a ballgame.”
Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator when Detroit blew a 17-point halftime lead and lost the NFC championship to San Francisco 34-31 after the 2023 season. In that game, Lions coach Dan Campbell went for it on fourth down twice in field-goal range but came up short, later saying he'd do it again if he could.
Those failures didn't curtail the Lions' aggressive fourth-down philosophy, one that Johnson took to Chicago when he was hired by the Bears a year ago.
He had plenty of company over the weekend as a trend from the regular season continued. There were just 3.55 punts per game per team this season and that figure fell in the first round of the playoffs with teams averaging just 3.41 punts per game.
The Panthers and Rams got the fun going Saturday when early fourth-down failures led to touchdowns by each team.
Trevor Lawrence thought he had the first down when the Jaguars went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Buffalo 9 only to see the review reveal his shin had hit the ground shy of the first-down marker, a fourth-down faux pas that proved pivotal in Jacksonville's 27-24 loss to the Bills.
The Bills twice went for it on fourth-and-1 deep in Jaguars territory. Josh Allen had a four-yard keeper on the first one and was carried nine yards on an astonishing tush push to the 1 that also led to a Buffalo touchdown.
The 49ers didn't attempt a single fourth-down conversion in their 23-19 win at Philadelphia, where the Eagles were 3-for-5 on fourth down.
The Patriots converted their only fourth-down try, on fourth-and-4 from the Chargers' 30, which led to a field goal. When the Chargers took a delay after failing to induce an offsides call and then punted from midfield, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said, “I think Jim Harbaugh's been watching the games this weekend.”
And when Steelers coach Mike Tomlin chose to take the three points with a 32-yard field goal try rather that chancing it on fourth-and-3 from the Houston 14 Monday night, ESPN analyst Troy Aikman commented: “We're in a time as we all know when a lot of offenses would be going for it. ... But points are going to be (at) a premium. You've got two defenses that are capable of dominating their opponent. Get 'em when you can.”
Well, points certainly were at a premium for Pittsburgh, which hung in there most of the night before the Texans' 23-0 fourth-quarter blitz in what might have been Rodgers' farewell game.
If so, Rodgers' final pass was a pick-6 by safety Calen Bullock, whose 50-yard interception return for a touchdown came on ... you guessed it, fourth down.
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Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reacts during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
