The Angels’ Mike Trout, center, is congratulated after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of Friday’s game against the Orioles in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons jumps over the Orioles’ Manny Machado as he turns a double play during the first inning of Friday’s game in Baltimore. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Starting pitcher Felix Pena #64 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Baltimore Orioles pitcher David Hess throws to a Los Angeles Angels batter during the first inning of baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout follows through on a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of baseball game, Friday, June 29, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout points skyward after hitting a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of baseball game, Friday, June 29, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
The Angels’ Mike Trout, center, is congratulated after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of Friday’s game against the Orioles in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout sits in the dugout before playing the Baltimore Orioles in a baseball game, Friday, June 29, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
The Angels’ Ian Kinsler loses his bat as swings at a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning of baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Baltimore. Kinsler later popped out on the at-bat. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Luis Valbuena #18 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim grounds into a fielder’s choice scoring Justin Upton #8 (not pictured) in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is hit by a pitch thrown by David Hess #41 of the Baltimore Orioles (not pictured) in the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Andrelton Simmons follows through on a double during the sixth inning of Friday’s game against the Orioles in Baltimore. Simmons matches his career high with four hits in the victory. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Los Angeles Angels Kole Calhoun follows through on a RBI sacrifice fly against the Baltimore Orioles during the sixth inning of baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Starting pitcher Felix Pena #64 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Baltimore Orioles’ Mark Trumbo reacts after being called out on strikes against the Los Angeles Angels during the ninth inning of baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Baltimore. The Angels won 7-1. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
The Angels’ Andrelton Simmons follows through on a single during the ninth inning of Friday’s game against the Orioles in Baltimore. Simmons matched his career high with four hits in a 7-1 victory. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Ryan Meisinger #52 of the Baltimore Orioles walks back to the dugout after pitching in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim during his MLB debut at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Martin Maldonado #12 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hits a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Martin Maldonado #12 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Kole Calhoun #56 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim catches a fly ball hit by Jonathan Schoop #6 of the Baltimore Orioles (not pictured) in the eighth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Eduardo Paredes, right, and catcher Martin Maldonado celebrate the team’s 7-1 win against the Baltimore Orioles in a baseball game Friday, June 29, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Mike Trout #27 and Andrelton Simmons #2 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim celebrate after defeating the Baltimore Orioles 7-1 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
A memorial for Capital Gazette sports writer John McNamara is displayed at a seat in the press box before a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Angels, Friday, June 29, 2018, in Baltimore. McNamara is one of five victims in a shooting in the newspaper’s newsroom Thursday in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
BALTIMORE — Mike Trout hadn’t even yet set foot in center field on Friday night when he immediately showed that all was back to normal.
Trout belted a 408-foot homer in the first inning, and then he made two sensational running catches, helping the Angels’ to a 7-1 victory over the hapless Baltimore Orioles.
The victory snapped the Angels’ season-worst six-game losing streak, a slide that occurred entirely during a nine-game span when Trout was grudgingly limited to DH duty because of a sprained finger.
Trout was 6 for 28 as a DH, including most of his first career 13-game stretch without an extra-base hit. The high-energy Trout “drove me crazy” in the dugout while the Angels were in the field, Manager Mike Scioscia joked.
Apparently, just knowing he would be headed out to center in the bottom of the first helped settle Trout in the top of the first.
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“He certainly is not acclimated to the DH role and you wouldn’t expect him to be,” Scioscia said. “The occasional DH day is different. All of the sudden, your legs are a little tired and you DH a certain day, but he did it for a solid nine days. It starts to grind on you if you don’t have that routine down.”
His 24th homer of the season gave the Angels a quick lead on their way to a badly needed routine victory.
“We went through a rough stretch of five or six games,” Trout said. “It’s a grind, but tonight was a good all-around performance.”
Andrelton Simmons had four hits, equaling his career high, including an RBI single. Justin Upton had three hits. David Fletcher had an RBI double. Martín Maldonado hit his second homer in the past three games and drove in two.
“Early runs are huge,” Scioscia said. Trout’s homer “got us on the board and we kept pecking away. But it starts with pitching. You’ve got to keep putting up zeroes.”
Angels starter Felix Peña, a converted reliever pushed into the rotation because of injury, worked 5-1/3 scoreless innings on 76 pitches.
The Angels helped him out with double plays in the first, third and sixth, the last of which erased the runner he left on base when he was pulled. Trout also ranged far into the gap to track down drives hit by Chris Davis in the second and Danny Valencia in the fourth.
“With all these days off, my legs felt really good,” Trout said.
While the Angels did plenty right in this game, and there is no major league team against which a victory can be taken for granted, it’s fair to point out that the 23-58 Orioles have the worst record in the majors.
The Angels had lost four in a row before facing the Orioles in Anaheim in May, and they proceeded to sweep them. This time, they again brought a losing streak to Baltimore before using the Orioles to pull themselves off the mat.
The Orioles opened the door for the Angels’ three-run sixth by allowing a routine pop-up to fall untouched in shallow left field. The pitch that Trout blasted for his homer was a fastball over the middle of the plate from rookie David Hess. Two other pitchers made their major league debuts for the Orioles on Friday night.
