Washington @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Jun 25, 2010 ) Washington 6, Baltimore 7
What tricks will the Baltimore Orioles pull out of their sleeves this time?
After two straight impressive - yet different - victories, the Orioles look to make it three in a row on Saturday when they host the Washington Nationals in the middle game of their interleague series.
On Thursday, Baltimore erupted for a season high-tying 17 hits and 11 runs in a triumph over the Florida Marlins, just its second double-digit output of the season.
On Friday, the Orioles found themselves in a 6-0 hole after four innings but battled back. They scored three runs in the fifth and three more in the eighth before taking advantage of the season-high fourth error of the game by the Nationals to plate the winning run in the ninth.
The miscue, a throwing error by Washington second baseman Cristian Guzman on an attempted inning-ending double play, allowed Baltimore to record consecutive victories for the first time since capturing three in a row from May 12-14.
Corey Patterson and Nick Markakis each collected three hits while Scott Moore belted a two-run homer in the eighth and delivered a key single in the ninth after remaining in the game at first base.
With the win, the Orioles improved to 6-13 under interim manager Juan Samuel and evened their all-time record against the Nationals to 14-14. Baltimore is 5-11 in interleague play this season, including a 2-5 mark at home.
Despite losing for the 18th time in its last 22 road games, Washington scored more than four runs for the first time in 10 contests.
The Orioles will summon Brad Bergesen from Triple-A Norfolk to start Saturday's game. The 24-year-old will be making his 11th start and 13th appearance of the season.
Bergesen went 0-2 in his last four starts for Baltimore and made a pair of relief appearances before being sent to Norfolk on June 13. The right-hander faced Washington on May 22, allowing six runs and 11 hits in five innings but not factoring in the decision of Baltimore's 7-6 loss.
In three career starts against the Nationals, Bergesen owns a 1-0 record.
Bergesen will face Livan Hernandez, who has won two of his last three starts.
The 35-year old Hernandez has surrendered two runs or less in four of his last five outings and 11 of 14 overall this season. On Monday, the veteran right-hander yielded just one run and eight hits in seven innings of a 2-1 triumph over the Kansas City Royals.
Hernandez is 3-1 in six lifetime starts against the Orioles.
Washington slugger Adam Dunn has collected 24 RBIs in his last 28 games, including four on Friday.