BALTIMORE, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Ryan Kohlmeier allowed four runs over 4 2/3 innings in his first major league start Friday, including solo homers to Trot Nixon and Morgan Burkhart, as the Boston Red Sox downed the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of a day-night doubleheader, 5-0.
The game marked the start of the last series in Cal Ripken's career.
Frank Castillo (10-9) tossed seven scoreless innings.
Ripken had one hit -- the 3,184th of his career -- in four at bats, a seventh-inning single to left. He entered the contest mired in a one-for-37 slump, having gone 33 hitless at bats until picking up a single on Thursday.
A crowd of 46,736 attended the Friday afternoon contest to salute the local hero.
After Nixon's 26th homer of the season opened the scoring in the fourth, the Red Sox took control with three runs in the fifth. Burkhart's first homer of the year and fifth of his career made it 2-0 and Jose Offerman and Nixon added RBI singles later in the frame.
Calvin Pickering also had a run-scoring single in the eighth for the Red Sox, who won their third straight.
Kohlmeier (1-2), who began the season as Baltimore's closer and converted just six of 10 chances before being stripped of his duties, surrendered six hits while striking out two and walking one. He has a 7.30 ERA.
Castillo fared much better, limiting the Orioles to just two hits with six strikeouts. The righthander has now posted consecutive victories for the first time since June 12-17 and he beat the Orioles for the first time in three starts this year.
