The Beltway Series is one of fun between cities less than an hour apart from each other.
The Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals squared off in a short two-game set, with the O’s putting their streak of not being swept on the line once again.
Reaching a 103 consecutive series without being swept, the Nationals did their best to try and end it. Winning the first game and coming back twice before dropping the final game in 12 innings, the Nats were more difficult to put away than many thought.
Let’s see how the set played out, as the Birds earned a series split.
GAME 1: O’s 0, Nats 3
In a game where The Baltimore Battery was representing Birdland, we got to see an up close look at the Birds.
Star offseason acquisition Corbin Burnes provided another outstanding outing. Unfortunately, the offense failed to perform in this one.
Burnes (L, 3-2) pitched 6.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out six and walked three on 95 pitches (63 strikes).
The offense struggled all night, striking out 12 times to zero walks, collecting only three hits for the game.
The Nationals took advantage of the Orioles’ poor ability to hold base runners, as they stole four bases to avoid double play opportunities.
Jacob Webb and Keegan Akin finished off the game without allowing any runs in the 3-0 loss.
GAME 2: O’s 7, Nats 6
Kyle Bradish’s return from a UCL strain seems like a small speed bump in what could be a special year.
Bradish completed five innings in his second start of the year. He gave up four hits and walked two, allowing one run and striking out five. Unfortunately, the bullpen was unable to hold the lead.
Offensively, the Orioles used three home runs to score four of their first five runs. Anthony Santander (6) and Gunnar Henderson (11) hit solo shots, with Ryan Mountcastle (6) hitting a two-run shot.
Danny Coulombe (H, 8), Yennier Canó (H, 9) and Cionel Pérez (H, 3) kept the Nationals at-bay. Craig Kimbrel (H, 2) came in to close the game but had to be relieved by Akin.
Akin (BS, 1) would allow a hit that scored the tying run. Albert Suárez (W, 2-0) would pick up the win, though he did give up the lead. Jacob Webb (S, 1) picked up the save after giving up a run in the 12th inning.
Jorge Mateo would provide the game-leading hit and then scored on a wild pitch that would ultimately be the winning run in a 7-6 back-and-forth match.
The Orioles collected 10 hits, led by Henderson and Colton Cowser’s two-hit games.
The Birds would eek out a win, 7-6 in 12 innings, remaining percentage points ahead of the Yankees in the AL East.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
The Orioles have been on an impressive run where a starter had yet to allow more than three runs in the last seven games. The BATTERY ❌-FACTOR was whether Burnes and Bradish would be able to follow the trend.
Both Bradish and Burnes did their jobs. Though Burnes took the loss, he still picked up a quality start. Bradish, though pitching a strong game, failed to pick up a quality start but only gave up one run in five innings.
❌️-FACTOR: SUCCESSFUL ✅️
The Orioles are off Thursday, a good thing after the bullpen combined to pitch seven innings in the final game of this series.
The Birds begin a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camden Yards on Friday.
Will the Diamondbacks bite the Birds, or will the Orioles bury the snakes in the grass? It all starts Friday at 7:05 p.m. EST on Apple TV+.
What are your thoughts on this series split? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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