Good job by bullpen, but bad ending to a disappointing road trip

When a starter only goes 2 1/3 innings, the result is fairly predictable. Not many teams are going to win those games. The Orioles managed to tie tonight's game and take left-hander Zach Britton off the hook, but Kevin Gausman allowed two runs in the fifth inning in a 6-4 loss to the Indians at Progressive Field. This all-important road trip ends with the Orioles losing six of the nine games. They're now 15-7 in two-run games. They're heading in the wrong direction. Gausman, Francisco Rodriguez, Josh Stinson and Jim Johnson did a nice job of covering for Britton. The foursome combined to allow two runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings, with two walks and eight strikeouts. That may have been good enough to reverse the outcome, but the Orioles stopped scoring after Manny Machado's three-run homer in the top of the fifth inning. Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters, the fifth and sixth hitters in the lineup, were a combined 0-for-8 with three strikeouts. In the process, the Orioles lost more ground on the Yankees in the American League East. They remain in fourth place, 1 1/2 games behind New York. The Orioles have fallen 3 1/2 games back in the wild card chase. They were two behind when the trip started. The Orioles are 24-17-4 in series this season. They've got four games coming up against the White Sox at Camden Yards. They've got a lot of catching up to do.