Gausman goes seven for win, Jones homers as O's beat Angels

Kevin Gausman pitched six very good innings and one shaky one. The O's offense camp up big early and then got quiet. It still added up to another Orioles victory.

Gausman picked up the win and Adam Jones hit another first-inning homer as the Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles' last five games have all been decided by one run and the O's are 4-1.

Los Angeles is 16-7 in its last 23 games, going 1-4 versus the Orioles and 15-3 against everyone else.

The Orioles are now 6-2 in the eight games Gausman started opposite Justin Verlander, Mark Buehrle, Alex Cobb, Jake Peavy, Felix Hernandez, Sonny Gray (who he faced twice) and tonight's starter, Garrett Richards.

Jones hit his latest first-inning homer, this time with Manny Machado aboard after a single, and the Orioles led 2-0 off Richards. For Jones, it was his 11th first-inning homer to lead the majors and his 21st on the season. It was the 158th he's hit as an Oriole to tie Melvin Mora for ninth on the club's all-time list.

It was just the fifth homer allowed in 22 starts and 144 1/3 innings by Richards.

The O's made it 4-0 in the fourth on a pair of clutch two-out hits. David Lough's RBI double to left made it 3-0 and he scored on Ryan Flaherty's single.

Gausman, meanwhile, retired the first 12 batters tonight on just 37 pitches, but then needed 39 pitches to get three outs in the fifth.

With two outs, he walked the bases loaded. A Chris Ianetta two-run single and an RBI double by Kole Calhoun followed before he struck out Mike Trout to end a threat that pulled the Angels within 4-3.

For the game, Gausman went seven innings and gave up three hits and three runs with three walks and two strikeouts. He threw 96 pitches and improved to 5-3 with an ERA of 3.70.

Darren O'Day pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Zach Britton pitched the ninth for his 21st save as the O's bullpen was solid again.

With the win, the Orioles improve to 60-46 to get to 14 games over .500 for the first time since last July 22, when they were 57-43. The Orioles have won 18 of 25 games and are 34-19 (.642) since May 31.

In the series finale on Thursday night, Bud Norris (6-7, 3.94 ERA) faces left-hander Tyler Skaggs (5-5, 4.49 ERA).