Brian Roberts lines the second pitch Jason Bergman throws out into left where Wily Mo Pena plays it and holds Roberts to a single. Roberts runs on Wil Nieves, and gets thrown out at second. Roger Bernadina closes his glove on a pop fly from Alex Cintron. Nick Markakis knocks an 0-2, two-out single to right. A low fastball entices Aubrey Huff to pop out foul of third, where Kory Casto catches it...Wait for it...
The Major League debut of Roger Bernadina...against O’s righty Jeremy Guthrie...line drive single through second. Bernadina starts out hot on a fastball inside that he drives. Cristian Guzman takes one in the numbers, square in the back, to bring up Elijah Dukes with RISP...Dukes’ Discerning Eye draws a walk to load the bases...Aaron Boone grounds into a force at second, but Elijah Dukes breaks up the DP with a hard slide as Bernadina crosses, 1-0 DC after one.
Kevin Mill-ah singles to start the O’s second. Bernadina catches a pop fly off Luke Scott’s bat. Bergmann drops a two-strike curve on “Invicible” Adam Jones to get a swinging K. Guillermo Quiroz grounds to third, Casto throws to Willie Harris for the force and Mill-ah slides hard at Harris’ ankle for some reason (ed. note - "Mill-ah thought there was only one down. Pay attention, Mill-AH!!!)...Wily Mo Pena lines a single to left to start the DC second. Willie Harris drives an inside pitch from Guthrie to right for a single...Two on, 0 outs, for Wil Nieves...Nieves grounds to third, Aubrey Huff fields, steps on the bag and throws to first, double play. Bergmann grounds out. 1-0 DC after two.
Jeremy Guthrie grounds weakly to Guzman for the first out of the third. Brian Roberts flies out to Bernadina. Alex Cintron ends the O’s third with another fly ball out. Bergmann through three scoreless...Roger Bernandina goes the other way by Aubrey Huff leaps to rob him of a hit. Cristian Guzman takes a one-out walk in front of Dukes. Dukes takes a questionable 1-1 slider for a strike and then goes down swinging defensively. Aaron Boone pops out to short right to end the third. Still 1-0 Nationals.
Wily Mo Pena ambles over to the line to catch Nick Markakis' pop fly. Jason Bergmann walks Aubrey Huff. Kevin Mill-ah swings through a high heater from Bergmann. Aaron Boone gets some leather on a hotshot from Luke Scott, but it gets by Boone and trickles into right allowing Huff to take third. Adam Jones up, Bergmann bounces a curve allowing Scott to take second. Jones grounds down the line, Casto gets it on his backhand, turns and fires to first...IN TIME! 1-0 DC after three and a half...Casto grounds out to third. WMP hits a weak groundout to short. Willie Harris golfs a two-out single to right-center. Will Nieves swings over a slider for strike three to end the fourth. 1-0 Washington.
Casto fields a sharp grounder off Guillermo Quiroz’s bat. Jeremy Guthrie’s first MLB hit is a double into the left center gap off Bergmann. Wil Nieves picks Guthrie off second when he strays too far from the bag, and let’s Guzman sneak in and tag him out. Brian Roberts grounds to second, Bergmann through five...Bergmann flails away at a few and K’s swinging. Bernadina chops a groundout to second. Guzman sails the third out to right, where a running Markakis makes the catch. Five in the books. 1-0 DC.
Alex Cintron flies out to Bernandina in center. Nick Markakis pops up behind short, where Guzman grabs it. Kevin Mill-ah lifts one to right, Dukes has it, Bergmann’s through six scoreless...Elijah Dukes takes a full-count slider for a called strike three. Aaron Boone grounds to Cintron at short. Casto grounds the first pitch to first to end the sixth. 1-0 DC.
Bergmann pops up Mill-ah for the first out of the seventh. Luke Scott lifts a low fastball to straight center and...GONE! Just over the out-of-town scoreboard and into the first row of seats. 1-1 ballgame. Adam Jones grounds out to short. Bergmann blows away Quiroz. Stand up and stretch...WMP walks to start the DC seventh. Pete Orr pinch runs for Pena. Willie Harris grounds to Mill-ah, to second, Cintron back to Mill-ah, double play. Wil Nieves grounds out to third. 1-1 after seven.
Saul “Sa-ool” Rivera starts the eight with a foul tip out into Nieves’ mitt from Jay Payton. Brian Roberts grounds to second, Cintron swings over a curve, 1-1 middle of eight...Orioles’ righty Jim Johnson takes over in the bottom of the inning. Jesus Flores bloops a single over first to start the inning. Felipe Lopez comes on to run for the catcher. Bernadina bunts too hard, and Mill-ah takes the force at second. Guzman slices a single to left, Bernadina takes second. Elijah Dukes fights off a few two-strike pitches, but ends up grounding to third, Huff steps on the bag and throws to first, double play by Huff. 1-1 after eight.
The Tallest Pitcher in MLB History, Jon Rauch to pitch the ninth. Rauch gets a fly out to right from Markakis. Aubrey Huff pops out foul of third. Mill-ah pops out to center, and Rauch retires the O’s in order...Boone hacks at the second pitch and pops out to first. Kory Casto grounds out. Pete Orr goes through short for a single to left off Jim Johnson. Willie Harris? Pops out to first. Extra innings up next...
Luis Ayala’s on the mound in the tenth. Luke Scott grounds out to Orr at second. Ayala drops a nasty two-strike-comeback-fastball on Adam Jones for the K. Pete Orr ranges behind second and makes the play to throw out the O’s catcher Quiroz....Bottom of the tenth. Chad Bradford’s pitching for the Orioles. Wil Nieves chases strike three into the left-handed batter’s box. Ronnie Belliard lines out to center. Roger Bernadina? Bernadina grounds through Mill-Ah’s wickets for a two-out single. Cristian Guzman up, Bernadina runs, but Bradford and Quiroz go with the pitch-out to nail the rookie baserunner. On to the 11th...
Melvin Mora pops out in a pinch hit appearance. Luis Ayala throws a fastball outside and trailing away from Brian Roberts for a swinging K. Alex Cintron gets sawed off by Ayala, who completes his second scoreless...Orioles’ righty Dennis Sarfate takes over in the eleventh. Guzman stares strike three into Quiroz’s glove. Elijah Dukes pops out ot short right. Aaron Boone beats out an infield single. Casto grounds out to short. 1-1 after eleven...
Nick Markakis singles off Ayala to start the twelfth. Aubrey Huff drives a single to left. Mill-ah flies out to left, and Casto fires it back in to hold the runners. DC Manager Manny Acta replaces Ayala with Charlie Manning. Manning throws three curves to Scott and gets him chasing. “Wild” Joel Hanrahan is on to face Adam Jones. Jones lines a a low 2-2 slider to right and Markakis beats Dukes’ throw home. 2-1 Orioles after eleven and a half...Lefty George Sherrill’s on in the bottom of the twelfth to close out the Orioles' win. Pete Orr down chasing. Paul Lo Duca grounds out. DY takes a two-out walk. Ronnie Belliard...GOES DEEEEEEP TO LEFT...AND GONE!!!! WALK-OFF HOMER FOR BELLIARD!!! WALK-OFF!! WALK-OFF!! Like I told you in the title, THE O’s Don’t Win on Sundays!!!
Nationals now 33-50.