BALTIMORE (AP) – Erik Bedard pitched eight strong innings to earn his third win, and the Baltimore Orioles used a three-run fifth to beat Bartolo Colon and the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Saturday.

Colon (0-2) gave up only one earned run in seven innings, but the 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner now has gone three starts without a victory. Colon did, however, lower his ERA from 12.86 to 7.07.

Bedard (3-0) allowed eight hits and two runs, striking out four and walking none. He has a 2.25 ERA in three starts and is tied with Boston’s Curt Schilling for the AL lead in wins.

The left-hander came in 0-2 with a 6.19 ERA in three career starts against the Angels.

Chris Ray worked the ninth for his fourth save in four tries.

Held to one hit through the first four innings, the Orioles took a 3-2 lead with a three-run fifth fueled by an error by Angels catcher Jose Molina.

Ramon Hernandez singled and scored on a double by Jeff Conine, who was batting .050 and in an 0-for-16 slump since opening day. Brian Roberts then singled off the glove of second baseman Chone Figgins, and Conine scored when Molina dropped Figgins’ throw to the plate. David Newhan followed with an infield hit before Melvin Mora singled in a run.

Bedard made the lead stand up, allowing only one hit and facing the minimum nine batters in his final three innings.

Colon yielded eight hits. He struck out four and walked one.

Los Angeles went up 1-0 in the first inning when Figgins hit a leadoff double and scored on a double by Garret Anderson. Tim Salmon tripled to open the second, but was stranded.

The Angels made it 2-0 in the fifth. Molina led off with a single, advanced on a single by Robb Quinlan and scored on a two-out double by Orlando Cabrera.

Notes: Angels OF Darin Erstad returned to the team Saturday, one day after his wife gave birth to the couple’s first child. He arrived early in the morning and did not play. … Hernandez went 3-for-4 to raise his batting average to .526. … Salmon’s triple was his first since 2003. … The Angels, who came in with an AL-high 10 errors, upped the total to 12.

AP-ES-04-15-06 1902EDT