Kevin Gausman gets first win as a starter since last August as O's top Tigers

It had been a while between wins as a starting pitcher for Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman. Coming into this outing, he was 0-5 with a 3.65 ERA over his last 12 starts. But the Orioles had scored three runs or less in nine of those games.

Tonight, the Orioles reversed the script of the last two nights - this time they took a big early lead - and beat Detroit 6-2 at Camden Yards. The attendance was 45,968, the seventh sellout of the year.

Gausman pitched seven strong innings, allowing four hits and two runs. He did not walk a batter, fanned six and threw 106 pitches. He improved to 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA and picked up his first win as a starter since Aug. 17, 2014. Over his past two starts, he has given up 10 hits and two runs over 14 2/3 innings.

Gausman's outing was welcome because of the last two nights, Orioles starters had pitched a comined total of 6 2/3 innings, allowing 20 hits and 11 runs. O's pitchers had allowed four homers, 16 runs and 32 hits Thursday and Friday night against the Tigers.

In the first two games of this series, Detroit outscored the Orioles 13-3 in the first four innings. Tonight, the Orioles led 5-0 after the fourth.

New Oriole Gerardo Parra got a big ovation when he batted in the first inning. Then, he lined a 1-0 pitch for a double to right in his first Orioles at-bat. It sent Manny Machado, who singled, to third. Chris Davis plated the first O's run with a groundout for his 71st RBI. A Matt Wieters single made it a 2-0 game.

Tonight Parra became the 1,000th different player to appear in a game in Orioles history. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored in his debut.

In the second, Jimmy Paredes doubled and scored on Caleb Joseph's single to left. Two innings later, Joseph's two-run homer made it a 5-0 lead. He hit No. 8 off a 2-1 fastball from Anibal Sanchez. Joseph drove in three runs and the Orioles are now 34-5 in his career when he drives in a run.

Meanwhile, Gausman retired the first 11 Tigers he faced and had a shutout through four. But he allowed a two-run homer to Nick Castellanos in the fifth. Castellanos was 0-for-13 this season versus Baltimore pitching before he homered.

Machado's solo homer in the seventh was his 23rd and ended Sanchez's night. Machado hit a 2-0 pitch out to center field for a 6-2 lead. The Orioles have scored 22 runs in the three games of this series and 43 the last eight games.

The Orioles improved to 53-50, going three games over .500 for the first time since they were 43-40 on July 6. The Orioles are 7-1 in their past eight games.

In the series finale on Sunday afternoon, Ubaldo Jimenez (8-6, 3.73 ERA) faces left-hander Daniel Norris (1-1, 3.86 ERA).