Shohei Ohtani returned to the Los Angeles Angels lineup Saturday, hitting a solo home run in the ninth inning, but the team’s late rally fell short in a 3-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Ohtani had missed the previous night’s walk-off victory due to the birth of his second child.

On the mound for the Angels, starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a less dominant performance compared to his outing a week earlier, when he carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox. Saturday, Yamamoto allowed six hits and two walks over six innings but limited Baltimore to three runs. He navigated through trouble in the second and fourth frames, despite struggling initially to find command of his splitter.

“It took me a little time to get the feel for the splitter,” Yamamoto said via interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “In the meantime, I was trying to grind it out with different options, with other pitches.”

Offensively, the Angels managed just four hits, including two from Tommy Edman and one from Mookie Betts. Their only hit off Orioles starter Trevor Rogers came in the fifth inning when Edman reached on a weak pop fly to center field. Rogers was pulled after the seventh inning, and Baltimore's bullpen preserved the lead despite some defensive lapses in the ninth.

Miguel Rojas came close to extending the Angels’ offense with a deep fly ball in the seventh that narrowly missed becoming a two-run homer. Reflecting on the loss, Rojas said, “It wasn’t our night. We’ve got to bounce back and come back tomorrow and get the series.”

The Orioles’ pitching and bullpen efforts stymied the Angels’ attempts at a late comeback, handing Baltimore a narrow victory and halting the Angels’ momentum following their previous walk-off win.