Gausman vs. Wright tonight at Fenway Park

BOSTON - The Orioles ended their three-game losing streak last night. They took over first place in their division. They continued to beat up on the Red Sox since 2012, including their trips to "America's Most Beloved Ballpark."

It's all fun and games until a knuckleballer crashes the party.

Steven Wright is the fly in the ointment. He's the pebble in a pair of spikes. He's the guy who tossed a complete game against the Orioles less than a month ago, his third this season.

Wright is carrying a 2.09 ERA in 12 starts this season, small enough to fit in his back pocket. The current Orioles are a collective 3-for-35 against him, with Nolan Reimold, Jonathan Schoop and Ryan Flaherty owning the only hits.

In three career appearances against the Orioles, Wright has gone 1-0 with a 1.84 ERA by allowing three earned runs and striking out 15 over 14 2/3 innings.

Meanwhile, Kevin Gausman is searching for his first win despite a 3.45 ERA this season and two more quality starts in June. He's allowed three earned runs in 12 1/3 innings in two outings this month.

It was a different story when Gausman faced the Red Sox on May 31 in Baltimore. He gave up five runs in six innings. Mookie Betts hit two home runs - one more than Gausman has allowed this month - and Dustin Pedroia also took him deep.

Gausman is 2-2 with a 3.76 ERA in 11 career games (six starts) against the Red Sox. He's 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA in six games (two starts) at Fenway Park.

David Ortiz is 7-for-16 with three doubles and two home runs against Gausman. Pedroia is 5-for-14 with a home run, and Betts is 4-for-12 with two homers.

The Orioles are 51-32 against the Red Sox since 2012 and 26-16 at Fenway Park. All of their scoring last night came on home runs - a two-run shot by Manny Machado in the first inning and a solo shot by Schoop in the eighth - in a 3-2 win.

As ESPN Stats & Info reminds us, the Orioles are threatening to set the major league record for most home runs in June. They've already hit 32, putting them on pace for 69. The record is 58.

Chris Tillman improved his record to 9-1 with a 2.87 earned-run average in 14 starts this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, three other Orioles pitchers over the last 25 years have won nine or more of their first 14 starts with an ERA that low - Mike Mussina in 1994 (9-3, 2.73), Jimmy Key in 1997 (11-1, 2.47) and Tillman in 2012 (9-2, 2.78).

Technically, that's two other pitchers, but you get the idea.

Tillman is the sixth major league pitcher this year to begin this season with a 9-1 or 10-0 record, joining Stephen Strasburg (10-0), Jake Arrieta (9-1), Johnny Cueto (9-1), Clayton Kershaw (9-1) and Chris Sale (9-1). Only three other times in major league history have six or more pitchers gone 9-1 or 10-0 as starters in one season.

Tillman has won his last five starts against the Red Sox dating back to 2014. Also per Elias, the only other Orioles pitcher to earn a win in five consecutive starts against the Red Sox is Arnie Portocarrero in 1958.

Portocarrero, besides possessing one of the greatest names ever, went 38-57 with a 4.32 ERA in seven seasons, the last three in Baltimore. The 1958 season was his finest. He was 15-11 with a 3.25 ERA in 32 appearances, with three shutouts and 10 complete games.

The Orioles acquired Portocarrero from the Kansas City Athletics for left-hander Bud Daley. Daley was an Oriole for only 16 days. They got him from the Indians, along with Dick Williams and Gene Woodling, for Larry Doby and Don Ferrarese.

And that's your history lesson for the day.