“What’s important is we won the game.”

That was Angels ace Nolan Ryan’s reaction after striking out 19 Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night. The feat ties the major league record and is the fourth time Ryan has accomplished the task in his career.

“Well, Don, it’s always nice to make a mark in the record books but I said in the winter that what matters this season is how we perform as a team. We couldn’t have won this game without Bobby’s home run in the fifth. And Dave and Ronnie put the icing on the cake there in the seventh. Getting that kind of support really makes pitching a whole lot easier, I can tell you that.”

Ryan knows what he’s talking about. Despite a 2.42 ERA coming into the game tonight, he held a losing record of two wins and three losses. Things are worse for the Angels as a whole.

The Halos entered play this evening in the midst of a three-game losing streak with a record of 7-14, tied for fifth with the Oakland A’s, nine-and-a-half back of the Royals.

To say the team is underperforming is to be kind. The Angels were active in the off-season, signing free agents Don Baylor, Bobby Grich, and Joe Rudi, and, despite strong individual performances from the three new arrivals and outstanding pitching of Ryan and Frank Tanana, the Angels are held out of last place only by the expansion Seattle Mariners (against whom the Angels are 3-5 so far this season).

Dave Chalk led the way for the offense going 4-for-4 with a double and three singles. And it was the Bobby Bonds grand slam in the fifth that put the Angels ahead for good.

Though he dominated the Orioles, Ryan also pitched himself into trouble that could have resulted in a different outcome.

In the sixth, the Orioles loaded the bases and scored an unearned run on a Jerry Remy error before making an out. Another run would come across on a Billy Smith single before Harlow and Dempsey struck out to end the inning.

In the seventh, Bumbry and Belanger struck out to start the inning, but then Singleton and Lee May walked, Murray singled, and DeCinces (who earlier homered) walked before Smith struck out to end the threat.

In the end, Ryan secured the victory, bringing his season record to 3-3, throwing 9 innings, allowing six hits, including a home run, and four runs, two earned. He walked 6, had one wild pitch, and a major league record tying 19 strikeouts.

The Angels and O’s will meet again tomorrow afternoon in the rubber match of the three-game series.