SAN FRANCISCO — The only statistic more startling than the career-high six walks Kevin Gausman issued in Saturday night's 6-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants was the nine strikeouts that accompanied them.
By numerical standards, Gausman was wild. But the fact that he had so many strikeouts, including a stretch of eight of nine outs coming by strikeout, indicated that he was carrying strong stuff. But Gausman couldn't compensate for the low strike call he felt he wasn't getting from home plate umpire Brian O'Nora.
"I thought I threw a lot of strikes tonight, I thought the most frustrating thing is knowing that the guy on the other side of the rubber is getting those pitches," Gausman said, referring to Giants ace Madison Bumgarner. "So when you see that, that's when it can kind of piss you off a little bit. But there's nothing you can really do about it. You just try to battle. … Obviously six walks in four innings isn't going to do it."
Gausman faced an uphill climb from the beginning -- all six of his walks came his first two times through the order – and he lasted just four innings despite allowing just two hits.
"You can't really give in," Gausman said. "I'm not going to just throw the ball right down the middle because I'm not getting pitches down. That's something [pitching coach] Dave Wallace told me when I came in. He was like, 'Hey, no matter what, you've just got to keep pitching.' He's like, 'I don't care if you walk 10 guys. You've just got to keep pitching.' That's what you try to do."
With the loss – and a Toronto Blue Jays win over the Houston Astros earlier in the day – the Orioles (65-51) dropped out of first place in the American League East, falling a half-game behind the Blue Jays.
One game remains on their three-city, 10-game road trip that included a week in the Bay Area, and the Orioles won't go home with a winning record on the trip, having lost five of the first nine. The loss dropped them to 26-34 on the road.
Gausman (3-10) continued to receive poor run support – he entered the night averaging 3.64 runs of support, the fifth-lowest mark among qualifying American League starters – and didn't receive any runs Saturday as Bumgarner (11-7) shut out the Orioles through seven innings.
Gausman was forced from the game after throwing 97 pitches, hurt by a leadoff walk to Hunter Pence that propelled the Giants to a two-run second inning. Gausman needed 34 pitches to get through the frame, allowing a double to Joe Panik and a two-run single to Denard Span as the Giants took a 2-0 lead.
"I think it was evident that I had good stuff because I don't think you get nine strikeouts and six walks without good stuff," Gausman said. "But you just put yourself in some [bad] situations. It seemed like every hitter was 2-0, 3-1, 3-2, and then you've got to make a pitch and even if you make the pitch you might not get the call."
Gausman's early exit forced two long relievers into service. Vance Worley threw two innings, allowing a two-run single to Span in the sixth. Ubaldo Jimenez yielded a two-run homer to Brandon Belt over the high fence in right field in the seventh.
Down to their last out, the Orioles avoided a shutout on Ryan Flaherty's two-run, pinch-hit single off left-handed reliever Javier Lopez with the bases loaded in the ninth.
Orioles burned by Bumgarner
This was the Orioles' first game against Bumgarner, and he held them to three hits over seven scoreless innings.
Bumgarner hadn't won a game in more than a month – his last victory came on July 10 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants had lost in each of his first five starts after the All-Star break despite Bumgarner pitching to a 3.18 ERA.
On Saturday, the Orioles put runners in scoring position in the second, third and sixth innings against Bumgarner, but were 0-for-4 in those situations.
"I faced him in the All-Star Game a couple times and he is as advertised," center fielder Adam Jones said. "He's not one of the game's best pitchers for the last few years for no reason, so tip your cap. He threw a hell of a game."
Bumgarner has held opponents to a .141 batting average (10-for-71) with runners in scoring position over his past 19 starts. He entered the night with the second-lowest average against in those scenarios in the majors behind Danny Salazar of the Cleveland Indians (.133).
The Orioles' best opportunity against Bumgarner came in the sixth inning, when a one-out walk to J.J. Hardy was followed by Manny Machado's double to center field that deflected off Span's glove.
Mark Trumbo then popped out, but the Orioles loaded the bases with two outs when Jonathan Schoop drew a walk. But Bumgarner struck out first baseman Chris Davis looking on three pitches to end the inning.
Orioles stupefied by call and lack of review
The Orioles were hurt by a controversial – and confusing – play in the sixth inning.
Jones motioned to drop a bunt on Bumgarner's first pitch of the sixth inning, but the ball hit Jones on his right hand. The ball bounced in front of the mound and Bumgarner threw to first for the out as Jones shook his hand in pain.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter attempted to challenge the call, claiming that the ball hit Jones on the hand before he made an attempt on it and it should have been a dead ball. But after a rule check by crew chief Jeff Kellogg, the call was upheld. Since O'Nora ruled that Jones made an attempt at the pitch, it wasn't a reviewable call, Showalter said.
"I think as soon as Brian [O'Nora] ruled that he had made an attempt, everything was off," Showalter said. "You could get into why and what is deemed reviewable, but [I] would have liked to have gotten it right. But if he thinks he offered at it -- I haven't looked at it. I don't really know. Brian's a good umpire. I wish he'd given a little bit more of the bottom of the zone tonight because Gaus wasn't that wild."
Because they ruled that Jones made an attempt at the pitch on the field, no video review was made in New York – umpires were on headset to get the rule check. That rendered the fact that reviews showed that the ball hit off Jones' knee after hitting his hand, which also would have made it a dead ball, inconsequential.
"The ball hits his finger and he doesn't make an attempt at it, it's a dead ball, OK?" Showalter said. "They say its nonreviewable once he made an attempt at it, so there was no challenge, and we were told it was nonreviewable."
Jones remained in the game and completed it. After the game, he said he was fine and would play Sunday. With Joey Rickard on the disabled list with a thumb injury, the Orioles are thin on candidates to fill in for Jones in center field.
"We're pretty thin in center field," Showalter said. "It's Adam or Adam."