Orioles lose game and listed starter for Thursday

BOSTON - In another unexpected development for a team that can't get through a night undisturbed, the Orioles will need a starter for Thursday's series finale against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Ubaldo Jiménez worked three scoreless innings of relief tonight in a 4-2 loss to the Red Sox, no longer making him available on Thursday. He was supposed to oppose Kyle Kendrick, who hasn't started since 2015.

Manager Buck Showalter had to dip into his bullpen early after plate umpire Sam Holbrook ejected Kevin Gausman for hitting Xander Bogaerts leading off the bottom of the second inning. Gausman was done after 20 pitches and a heated argument that also involved Showalter, catcher Caleb Joseph and third baseman Manny Machado.

Left-hander Richard Bleier made his Orioles debut and allowed one earned runs (three total) and five hits in four innings. He also let an inherited runner score after Gausman was tossed for poor location on a 77 mph curveball.

Jiménez walked from the dugout to the bullpen in the second inning, also his vantage point last night.

Center fielder Adam Jones also was ejected tonight after striking out in the fifth inning. According to STATS, the Orioles hadn't lost two players to ejections in the same game since relievers Kevin Gregg and Jim Johnson on July 8, 2011 at Fenway Park.

The Orioles figure to make at least one roster move before Thursday's game. Bleier probably will be optioned after throwing 64 pitches tonight.

Showalter will be asked later if Gausman is a candidate to start after an abbreviated outing. My guess is he will decline. The warmup tosses in the bullpen, the 20 pitches, the risk involved.

Anyone who's optioned to the minors must stay down a minimum of 10 days unless replacing an injured player, which eliminates Mike Wright, Jayson Aquino, Vidal Nuño, Logan Verrett and Paul Fry.

Tyler Wilson and Gabriel Ynoa are candidates because they're eligible and they wouldn't be working on short rest. Wilson made his last start for Triple-A Norfolk on Friday and Ynoa followed him the next day.

The Orioles scored twice in the sixth inning on Trey Mancini's sacrifice fly and J. J. Hardy's RBI single off reliever Heath Hembree. Both runs were charged to starter Drew Pomeranz.

Matt Barnes retired Machado on a fly ball to center field in the seventh. Barnes was suspended four games for throwing a pitch behind Machado's head in Baltimore.

The game kept taking bizarre turns. Mookie Betts was shaken up after sliding into first base and being hit on the leg by a throw from Joseph in the seventh inning, but he stayed in the game and stole second base.

Joseph was backing up an errant throw from Chris Davis and tried to nab Betts scrambling back to the bag. Also not intentional.

Despite the madness, the Orioles brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the eighth inning after Mancini and Hardy singled with two outs. Seth Smith was introduced as the pinch-hitter for Joseph, the Red Sox brought in left-hander Robby Scott and Showalter countered with backup catcher Francisco Peña, who grounded into a force at third base.

Craig Gentry would have batted in that situation, but he replaced Jones in center field. Holbrook's impatience had a trickle-down effect.