Gausman impresses in season debut out of bullpen

ST. PETERSBURG -- Kevin Gausman served as a valuable piece in the bullpen in Tuesday's 6-5 Orioles win over the Rays. The right-hander threw some serious heat and recorded some big outs for Baltimore in the series victory.

After starter Wei-Yin Chen left with runners on first and second in the fifth inning, Gausman gave up a two-out walk to Evan Longoria that loaded the bases and put the go-ahead run at the plate.

But the righty got out of the jam, getting Desmond Jennings to pop up to keep the O's lead intact.

"I think some of the situations he was in last year, it all plays into it," manager Buck Showalter said of Gausman performing well in a relief role. "He's been exposed to a lot of things like that and it will play well.

"He was capable of throwing 70 pitches tonight, but I want him to take two days [off] and be back for us [on] Friday."

Gausman, who missed out on the fifth starter spot this spring, allowed a pair of runs in the following frame -- a Kevin Kiermaier two-run homer -- and ended up going 2 1/3 innings. He also hit an impressive 101 mph on the radar gun at Tropicana Field.

"I think last time I pitched was last Tuesday. I definitely had my rest," Gausman said. "I felt good. Also adrenaline, [the] first game out had something to do with it."