In the Lone Star State, the stars weren't aligned for Orioles righty Kevin Gausman to notch his first win of 2016.
Gausman remained winless for the season after his 12th start, coughing up an early 3-0 lead and taking the loss during the Birds' one-game makeup in Texas June 20.
Early in the game, fortune seemed to be smiling on Gausman. He had good stuff out of the chute, mixing his high-90s fastball with a sharp-breaking curveball to keep the Rangers off the board in the first and second. Meanwhile, the Orioles, who have provided little-to-no run support for Gausman all season, jumped on Rangers lefty Derek Holland for three quick runs in the second. That gave Gausman a 3-0 edge -- the largest lead he's had all season.
That's when things turned south. In the top of the third, the O's had a chance to pad their lead considerably, loading the bases with nobody out. But the Birds squandered the opportunity, as shortstop J.J. Hardy struck out swinging and outfielder Nolan Reimold grounded into a rally-killing double play. That seemed to let the air out of the Orioles' tires, and the Rangers stormed back into the game.
