William F. Yurasko- Flickr
The Baltimore Orioles are set to take on the Washington Nationals, in a four game set starting tonight. The teams will play two games in D.C. and the final two will be played in Baltimore. The two teams are separated by only about 45 minutes, so a great fan turnout is expected for the Battle for the Beltway.
The Orioles come into the series having won seven out of their last ten. Over the weekend, the Orioles took two of three from the Boston Red Sox, playing 30 innings in a span of about 28 hours. The first game of the series was postponed and rescheduled as a day and night double-header due to the effects of then Hurricane Arthur. After dropping the first game and scoring only two runs, the offense of the Orioles came alive and scored a combined 14 runs in the final two games.
The Orioles’ pen will look to bounce back, if they get the chance. In Sunday’s finale, six relievers used by the O’s went a combined 6 2/3 innings, giving up five earned runs on 11 hits. Ryan Webb had an unfamiliar outcome in his relief appearance as he managed only to get one out in the seventh, while allowing three runs. The Orioles will come into tonight’s game with a two game cushion in first place in the AL EAST, thanks to the recent struggling of both the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees.
Chris Tillman will get the start for the first game of the series. Tillman has pitched much better since his blowout against the Texas Rangers back on June 5. In his last five starts, Chris has failed to reach six innings only once, and in those five starts; he has allowed only eight runs in 33 2/3 innings.
Beyond Tillman, the Orioles only have Wei-Yin Chen listed as the starter for the second game, with the third and fourth games to be determined.
The Nationals are also coming off a series win as they took two of three from the Chicago Cubs. After dropping the first game 7-2, the Nats would score 15 runs in the final two games, though 13 were in the game on Saturday. Their pitching got it together in the final two games and allowed only one run on 15 hits and 14 strikeouts.
Like the Orioles, the Nationals have also won seven out of their last ten and sit only a half game behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL EAST. Facing the Orioles will be right-hander Stephen Strasburg. The soon-to-be 26-year-old is coming off a spectacular start against the Colorado Rockies, where he pitched 7 2/3 innings, giving up only one run on five hits and striking out 8.
This series has the ingredients for a hard fought and well-played four-game set. The Orioles will be looking to extend their AL EAST lead and be the one that breaks it wide open. However, the Nationals will need to stay hot if they want to keep pace with the Braves in the NL EAST. Atlanta is coming off a 9-1 record in their last ten games and will look to start a new winning streak. So, the Nats will need to stay on top of their game, if they want to overtake them for first place.
A.J. Risser is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. You can follow him on Twitter.