In extra-inning marathon, Orioles outlast Red Sox 7-6 in 12

The Orioles lost a big lead today, but in the end they didn't lose the game. After blowing a 6-1 lead in the seventh and watching Boston tie it up 6-6, the Orioles pushed across a run in the top of the 12th to end this marathon game and beat the Red Sox 7-6 in 12 innings. David Lough, batting just .191, led off the 12th with a triple to center and scored on J.J. Hardy's single. It was Hardy's third RBI of the day. The Orioles improved to 48-40 and moved a season-high eight games over .500. The Orioles have won six of seven and 11 of 16 games. They are 22-13 since May 31. The O's improved to 7-3 in extra-innings games. Much earlier today, Kevin Gausman was impressive but never moreso than in the bottom of the fourth. Protecting a 1-0 lead, the Red Sox put runners on second and third with one out. But Gausman then struck out Mike Napoli on a pitch that was clocked at 100 mph on the Fenway Park scoreboard. He struck out Stephen Drew with a 97 mph fastball. Gausman went 5 1/3 innings allowing four hits and one run with two walks and a career-high seven strikeouts. Gausman has allowed one earned run or less in four of his last five starts, pitching to an ERA of 2.45. His career ERA against Boston is now 1.80. Nelson Cruz had a single and double in his first two at-bats today. That gave him hits in seven straight at-bats. The last Oriole to do that was Derrek Lee June 17-18, 2011. The club record is hits in 10 straight at-bats by Ken Singleton April 26-28, 1981. The Red Sox sixth error of the series gave the O's a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Xander Bogaerts' throwing error scored Cruz. It became 2-0 in the sixth on Caleb Joseph's sac fly. The O's scored four in the seventh to add to a 2-1 lead. Steve Pearce and Adam Jones began that rally with singles. Cruz singled in the third run and Hardy's two-run single to right plated two. When Ryan Flaherty singled in a run it was a 6-1 lead. The Orioles had been 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position through the sixth inning. But the lead was quickly gone. Boston's five-run, seven-hit bottom of the seventh against four O's relievers tied the game 6-6. Mike Napoli's single got Boston even as the teams combined for nine runs on 13 hits in the seventh today. After the O's bullpen gave up the lead in the seventh, Brad Brach pitched scoreless ball over the ninth, 10th and 11th to keep the game tied, and give the Orioles a chance to win it. Brach got the victory to improve to 4-0 with an ERA of 3.26. He has pitched 12 scoreless innings over his last seven games. Zach Britton gave up a one-out single to David Ortiz in the last of the 12th, but he was easily thrown out at second by Lough in left, trying for a double. Britton recorded his 14th save in 16 chances. Since suffering a blown save June 20 at New York, Britton has pitched eight consecutive scoreless innings. The Orioles are now 24-17 against the AL East and 7-6 against the Red Sox. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 series within the division. Now the Orioles head to Washington D.C., to begin two two-game, home and home series' with the Nationals. On Monday night at 7:05, Chris Tillman (7-4, 4.21 ERA) pitches against Stephen Strasburg (7-6, 3.53 ERA).