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Back at .500, Nationals go for 3-game sweep of Orioles
The Washington Nationals will go for their first home series sweep of the season when they host the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
The Nationals pulled away late for a 13-3 win on Saturday, allowing them to reach .500 (23-23) for the first time since May 2024. Washington had lost 15 straight games when a win would have improved its record to the .500 mark.
This is the latest Washington has been at .500 since July 2, 2021.
“Obviously, we want our record to be even better than .500,” manager Blake Butera said. “It’s a cool accomplishment to get to .500 at this point in the season, playing the type of schedule we’ve played to this point. Hopefully, we can build off this.”
The Nationals have managed just an 8-13 home record while going 15-10 on the road.
Baltimore, meanwhile, has lost three of four. Scoring has been a problem of late as the Orioles have scored three runs or fewer in eight of their past nine games.
“We’re trying to win every game like we talk about,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “Every time we show up we’re trying to win so the urgency is the same. I think it’s us coming in tomorrow, be ready to win.”
The Orioles send Brandon Young (3-1, 4.15 ERA) to the mound Sunday opposite fellow right-hander Miles Mikolas (1-3, 7.00).
Baltimore is 4-1 in Young’s starts. Last time out, he gave up two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision against the Yankees. He struck out five and walked three.
“BY’s command was not his best, he knows that but he did a great job of just keeping us in it,” Albernaz said.
Young, who has never faced the Nationals, has fashioned a 2.45 road ERA this season, compared to 5.40 at Camden Yards.
Mikolas has managed to shave over four runs off his ERA with improved performances over his past five appearances. Last time out, he started and went 3 1/3 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits as the Washington defeated host Cincinnati.
Mikolas is 1-0 with a 4.41 ERA in three career starts against the Orioles.
The Nationals saw a 4-0 lead shrink to 4-3 in the seventh inning Saturday before erupting for seven runs in their half of the inning.
“They cut to a 4-3 game there in the seventh, and to answer with a seven spot and get the momentum right back in our hands is just tremendous,” Butera said.
Keibert Ruiz had three hits including a homer and drove in five runs, and Jacob Young and Brady House each had two hits including a homer.
Ruiz has hit safely in four of his last five games, batting .381 (8-for-21) with four doubles, three homers, seven runs and 11 RBIs.
House entered the game in the seventh inning and became the fifth player in Nationals history to record two or more extra-base hits off the bench.
CJ Abrams finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI.
Samuel Basallo and Tyler O’Neill hit back-to-back homers for Baltimore. Basallo extended his hitting streak to nine games, raising his batting average from .234 to .278 during that time.
–Field Level Media
