The Washington Nationals scored on Nasim Nunez’s two-out infield single in the ninth inning to claim a 4-3 victory against the host Baltimore Orioles on Friday night to open a three-game series.
James Wood homered and had a run-scoring single and Nathaniel Lowe also homered for the Nationals, who won for the second time in their last 10 games.
Ramon Laureano went 4-for-4 and Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday each had three hits, but the Orioles lost for the 10th time in a 12-game stretch.
The teams combined to strike out 28 times.
Wood’s two-out solo homer in the eighth off Keegan Akin tied the score. He has 12 homers.
Orioles starter Cade Povich worked 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits with a pair of walks and nine strikeouts. Felix Bautista (0-1) took the loss.
Jorge Lopez (6-0) was the winning pitcher with an inning of relief and Kyle Finnegan pitched the ninth for his 14th save. Holliday reached on a lead-off single off Finnegan, but he was erased when he was caught stealing on the same pitch that struck out Cedric Mullins.
Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore had a strange line while giving up two runs across 3 2/3 innings. He surrendered 10 hits and walked two batters while also notching nine strikeouts.
The Orioles loaded the bases and didn’t score in the first inning. Lowe homered with one out in the second for his eighth long ball of the season.
Baltimore went up 2-1 in the third on Laureano’s double and Holliday’s infield single.
Wood’s two-out single tied it in the top of the sixth. Despite all the hits (14) for the Orioles, they went back ahead in the bottom of the sixth without a hit. The unearned run scored on a Ramon Urias sacrifice fly.
Washington put runners at second and third with one out in the seventh, but Bryan Baker entered from the Baltimore bullpen and struck out two batters to douse the threat.
Nationals score in 9th to edge Orioles
May 17, 2025 | 5:21 AM