BALTIMORE _ Kevin Gausman's seventh inning was immaculate _ nine pitches, nine strikes and three strikeouts. He was nearly spotless otherwise, too.
But his one mistake proved too many for Gausman in Monday night's series finale against the Cleveland Indians, a 2-1 loss in which the right-hander found the fastball velocity that had eluded him all season but served up an early home run ball to Yonder Alonso that was more than the Orioles' (6-17) and their barren bats could muster themselves.
That home run came in second inning, but for the rest of the night, Gausman looked far more likely to accomplish the rare feat that came in the seventh. He allowed just those two runs on four hits in eight impressive innings.
His fastball was back, averaging 93.8 mph after averaging no better than 93 mph this year and 95.8 mph last year. He had thrown just 11 pitches at or above 95 mph in four prior starts this season. He was practically living above that Monday, but it took a while to grow into it.
After walking the leadoff man in the first inning, he struck out Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley around an athletic play to help his own cause on a swinging bunt to get out of it. But he hung an 0-2 slider to Edwin Encarnacion for a single to open the second inning, then an outside fastball to Yonder Alonso caught too much of the plate and was hit out to center field for a two-run home run.
The Orioles strung together three singles _ by Adam Jones, Chris Davis and Chance Sisco _ in the home half of that inning before the type of misfortune that becomes common for a team that's 10 games below .500 and sinking befell them. Rookie right fielder Anthony Santander's low line drive up the middle had RBI single written all over it, but instead, Carlos Carrasco snagged it on the mound and doubled off Sisco at first base to end the threat.
The Orioles managed just four hits from then on, but Gausman did the same to the Indians. Jose Ramirez doubled in the third inning, Francisco Lindor singled in the fifth, and that's it. He retired the last 10 batters, he faced, and 21 of his last 23, including accomplishing what's known as an immaculate inning in the seventh.
There, Gausman struck out Alonso swinging on an 85 mph splitter, Yan Gomes swinging at a 95 mph fastball and Bradley Zimmer looking at a 95 mph fastball. All were on three pitches.
According to Baseball-Almanac, Gausman's was the 90th instance of that in modern baseball, with the first coming on June 4, 1889, by John Clarkson of the Boston Beaneaters and the most recent by the Boston Red Sox's Rick Porcello on Aug. 9.
The Orioles have three in their history _ beginning with Jimmy Key on April 14, 1998. Less than a month later, Mike Mussina did it to the Tampa Bay Rays on May 9, and on Sept. 5, 1999, B.J. Ryan posted the club's most recent against these same Indians.
Gausman struck out the last batter he faced _ Jason Kipnis _ on a 96.4 mph fastball to give him seven on the day, and lower his ERA to 4.66. The Orioles put two on in the eighth inning, but came away with nothing to show for it.
Richard Bleier kept it a one-run game in the ninth inning, but Cody Allen set the Orioles down.
