Gausman lasts only three innings (O's lose 6-4)

BOSTON - In three innings tonight, Kevin Gausman's pitch count soared by disturbing proportions. To heights that led manager Buck Showalter to call upon his bullpen in relatively quick fashion.

Gausman turned in his shortest outing of the season, with Odrisamer Despaigne replacing him to begin the fourth and making his Orioles debut. Gausman allowed a season-high six runs and seven hits, with two walks, three strikeouts, a home run and a wild pitch.

If not for No. 9 hitter Christian Vazquez, who struck out twice to end the second and third, Gausman might not have lasted this long.

Gausman threw nine pitches while retiring the side in order in the first. A ground ball, fly ball and another grounder. Routine stuff.

Then it got ugly.

Gausman threw 23 pitches in the second while falling behind 1-0 on a Hanley Ramirez walk, Chris Young two-out single and Travis Shaw double to left field.

The Red Sox sent nine batters to the plate in the third, the damage escalating on Ramirez's long three-run homer to left field. The first five batters reached base, including Xander Bogaerts on an RBI infield single, the ball deflecting off Gausman's glove.

Orioles pitchers could use another round or two of PFPs.

Gausman wasn't lacking for velocity. One of his fastballs to David Ortiz, fouled back, was clocked at 99 mph on the ballpark's radar gun. But Ortiz delivered an RBI single before Ramirez unloaded.

Despaigne began to stretch and get loose after Ortiz's single. He started to warm after the home run. He also fell into trouble in the fourth on two-out singles by Bogaerts and Ortiz, but escaped the jam to keep the deficit at six runs.

The Red Sox worked Gausman for 39 pitches in the third to leave his count at 71.

Gausman's ERA rose from 3.45 to 4.14 in 63 innings. He had posted back-to-back quality starts this month.

Gausman still hasn't won since Sept. 30, 2015.

Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright has hit Hyun Soo Kim and Joey Rickard. He's given up singles to Mark Trumbo and Adam Jones. But the Orioles haven't scored and his ERA is down to 1.99 as we move to the top of the fifth inning.

Update: Adam Jones hit a 75 mph knuckler over the Green Monster in the seventh inning, a two-run shot that reduced the Red Sox's lead to 6-2.

Jones' 12 home run of the season came after Joey Rickard singled and moved up on a passed ball.

Update II: The Orioles are trying to come back. They scored twice in the eighth on Matt Wieters' RBI double and Jonathan Schoop's RBI single to reduce the Red Sox's lead to 6-4.

Update III: The Orioles lose to the Red Sox 6-4 despite five scoreless innings from their bullpen.

The teams are tied again for first place in the American League East with identical 37-27 records.