In the opening game of the annual 4 game, Battle of the Beltway series between the Orioles and Nationals, both teams showed what a close series this will be. This year is perhaps the best year of this short lived in state rivalry. Both teams are having fantastic years, and both are in 1st (Nats are .5 game out) and both are bringing baseball back to Maryland. You could tell the excitement in Nationals Park, as both teams’s fans battled in the stands back and forth with cheers.
As for the game, in the 4th inning, Nelson Cruz continued his monster year hitting a bullet for his 28 home run. In the 6th, All Star final vote candidate Anthony Rendon hit a 2 run home run himself tying the game at two a piece. That was all the offense of the starters though. Both Stephen Strasburg and Chris Tillman put up a great performance keeping two potent offenses quiet. Then it went two extras.
After having played a double header on Saturday, and playing 12 innings yesterday, the Orioles in no way wanted to go to overtime today, but of course they did anyway. Tonight the O’s got 2 big innings from Darren O’Day, who was the only guy not to pitch yesterday, and two innings from TJ Mcfarland who pitched three straight days, letting the rest of the bullpen. It also helped that Chris Tillman gave them 7 innings to rest the pen.
In the 11th inning, is when the bats woke up. After a leadoff single from Cruz, the 2-38 Chris Davis hits a home run to center field, sending the many O’s fans in Nats Park into a frenzy. The next hitter JJ Hardy followed with a solo homer himself. First time Hardy and Davis homer in same game this year. Then after a Hundley double, Markakis added on with his own double making it 6-2. Machado then stepped in, already with 4 hits, and drove a 2 run homer deep into the D.C night.
The Orioles continue to prove they can win these tough games. They remain 3.5 games ahead of New York, and for now, 2.5 ahead of Toronto. Don’t look now, but the Orioles are really turning it on at a good time.