Field Level Media
Jun 21, 2018
The Baltimore Orioles scored early and added on later in defeating the host Washington Nationals 3-0 in a soggy game that included a rain delay of 2 hours, 43 minutes on Wednesday night.
Mark Trumbo launched a 427-foot home run in the second inning off loser Gio Gonzalez (6-4) to stake Orioles starter Andrew Cashner to a 2-0 lead. Danny Valencia added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, after the rain delay.
The Orioles began the night having lost 10 of 11 games, including Tuesday night's defeat against the Nationals to open the series. Baltimore earned its first win in five games against Washington this season, with one more game remaining on Thursday.
The Nationals lost for the eighth time in 11 games.
Both starters left when the game was delayed after four innings.
Cashner, who came off the disabled list on Wednesday after dealing with lower back spasms, kept the Nationals off the scoreboard. He allowed three hits and no walks while striking out two.
Gonzalez gave up five hits and two runs, with no walks and two strikeouts.
Baltimore won the battle of the bullpens as well.
Miguel Castro (2-2) got the win, going two hitless innings with two walks and two strikeouts, and Darren O'Day struck out two in the seventh.
Zach Britton pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing no hits and a walk while striking out two. He got Bryce Harper on a hard line drive to first base to start the ninth.
Brad Brach came on, and the Nationals staged a last-gasp attempt to tie the contest.
Michael A. Taylor and Trea Turner singled before Wilmer Difo lined out to second base. Brach walked Brian Goodwin to load the bases before coming back to strike out Mark Reynolds and end the game.
Play was halted at 8:07 p.m. ET, and it finally resumed at 10:50 to start the fifth inning.
The Orioles pushed across a run in the sixth against Nationals reliever Shawn Kelley, almost exclusively a one-inning pitcher who was asked to go two innings on Wednesday.
Adam Jones led off the sixth with a double, and one out later, Valencia brought him in with his fly ball to the track in center field.
Baltimore started the scoring in the second. Jonathan Schoop led off with a bunt single, and Trumbo walloped a hanging 74 mph curveball for a two-run blast, his fifth home run of the season.
Valencia and Jones each had two of Baltimore's eight hits. Washington had only five hits, including a double and a single by Anthony Rendon.
Matt Grace and Tim Collins combined for three scoreless innings to finish the game for the Nationals.
--Field Level Media