O's game blog: Kevin Gausman on the mound in Game 2

After their sixth straight win in a series-opening game, the Orioles play the second game of a three-game set today at Fenway Park.

The Orioles' 16-3 win on Friday improved their overall record to 63-65, their road record to 25-39 and their record against the American League East to 28-22.

The Orioles set a season-high for runs last night, and tied their season high with 20 hits. The Orioles have scored 67 runs over their last 10 games. They hit two homers Friday, with Mark Trumbo connecting on No. 20 and Chris Davis on No. 21. It was just the fourth time they have both homered in the same game. The Orioles have hit two or more homers in a game 49 times this year and have gone 37-12 in those games.

Second baseman Jonathan Schoop went 4-for-5 with an RBI Friday night. He ranks second in the American League and ranks seventh in the majors with 94 RBIs. His 40 RBIs since the All-Star break leads the AL and ranks second in the majors. Schoop's 94 RBIs are tied for most in one season by an Orioles second baseman (primary position).

With two short outings among his last three starts, right-hander Kevin Gausman (9-9, 5.25 ERA) is set to start this afternoon at Fenway Park. He will make his team-leading 28th start.

Over those past three games, Gausman is 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA. In his four starts before this stretch, he went 3-0 with an ERA of 0.65. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of his past seven starts.

Gausman is 0-2 with an 8.53 ERA in two starts in 2017 against the Red Sox. On May 3 at Fenway Park he was ejected in the second inning when he hit Xander Bogaerts with a breaking ball. And no, pitchers don't throw at hitters with breaking balls, although the home plate umpire that day, Sam Holbrook, didn't get that memo.

Former O's farmhand, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (4-3, 4.01 ERA), gets the start for Boston. Over his past two starts, he has allowed seven runs in 11 innings. But going back over his last four games, he has pitched to a 3.52 ERA with a .205 batting average against.

He has had two very different starts against the Orioles. On April 23 at Oriole Park, he pitched six scoreless on one hit. On June 1 in Baltimore he went 5 2/3 innings and gave up four homers and seven runs.

In seven home starts, he is 1-0 with a 3.79 ERA and the Red Sox are 6-1 in those games.

At one time, Gausman and Rodriguez were ranked among the top prospects on the O's farm. At the end of the 2012 season, Gausman was the O's No. 2 prospect per Baseball America (and 26th in the top 100), while Rodriguez was No. 5. A year later, after the 2013 season, Gausman was the O's No. 2 again (20th in the top 100) and Rodriguez was the O's No. 3 (65th in the top 100). The Orioles signed Rodriguez as an international amateur free agent out of Venezuela for a bonus of $175,000 at age 17.

The Orioles are 8-6 versus Boston with five games to go in the season series. If they get two more wins they will take the season series against the Red Sox for the fifth time in the last six years. The O's are 62-46 (.585) versus Boston since the 2012 season.