• Today's Top 5:
5. Luis vs Jeremy: Atilano and Guthrie are the story through three with each starter holding the opposition off the board. Guthrie walks 3, two in the second, one in the third, and those are the only three runners to reach base in the first three innings as Atilano holds the O's hitless, striking out three with a brutal bottom-drops-out change that gets Luke Scott swinging in the second and Scott Moore chasing for the final out of the third...40 pitches through three for Atilano, 19 of them in the third...
4. BIG FOURTH!!! No, Not A Lead!!: Guthrie's 4th walk is of the leadoff variety to start the fourth, and it comes back to bite the O's starter when Josh Willingham's line drive to center is misjudged by Adam Jones, who completely misses it and turns an out into an RBI triple by completely missing it. Did I mention he completely missed it. 1-0 Nats. After a fastball inside for a ball, Jeremy Guthrie tries to sneak a backdoor slider in for a strike outside and Roger Bernadina goes with it, powering a two-run HR out to left for an opposite field blast!! Roger Bernadina's 5th HR makes it 3-0 Nats after three and a half. Luis Atilano finally surrenders a hit in the fourth when Miguel Tejada singles to right with one down, but he seems to think it's a double, and Roger Bernadina's one-hop strike to second beats Tejada to the bag! Nailed! Bernadina!!!
3. The Inevitable Collapse? E: 68: Luis Atilano gets the first out of the O's fifth on a grounder to third by Ty Wiggington, but the Orioles' offense finally wakes up and puts together four-straight hits, two doubles, by Luke Scott and Adam Jones for the O's first run, 3-1, and back to back singles by Matt Wieters and Scott Moore for the second run, 3-2. Atilano, who'd allowed just one hit through four, gets a grounder to third that's probably too slow for a DP, but Adam Kennedy tries anyway after catching Zim's throw to second and the throw to first sails and allows Moore to score the third and tying run, 3-3 game. E: 68 on the season by the Nats, Adam Kennedy's 8th. Third-straight blown lead this series...
2. Comeback Complete: Nats' right-hander Tyler Clippard thought he had Corey Patterson looking when he dropped a 2-2 slider inside on Patterson's hands for what he expected to be a called strike three, but home plate Ump Tim Tschida disagreed, called it ball three and a angry Clippard's full-count change outside was lined to center for a two-out single that put Patterson in scoring position so that Miguel Tejada's single to center could score the go-ahead run and make it 4-3 O's after eight...And the Nationals have no chance against Alfredo Simon in the ninth. O's win to complete the three-game sweep of their Mid-Atlantic "rivals"...
1. Interleague Is Finally Over: Three-straight losses to the O's, put the Nationals down 16-14 in the Mid-Atlantic series that started when baseball returned to the nation's capital in 2006. The Nationals finish their 2010 Interleague schedule with a 5-13 record, having dropped 10 of their last 12, 3 each to the Tigers, Sox and O's and 1 of 3 to the Royals...12 of 15 overall... for a 7-17 record in June and 33-43 record overall after losing their 4th-straight on Sunday...oh hey, and that was the O's second sweep of the season, congrats...
• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...
• Final Score: O's 4, Nats 3.
• FULL GAME REPORT:
1 - Nyjer Morgan takes an 0-2 fastball for a called strike three and Jeremy Guthrie's got the first out of the afternoon. Adam Kennedy flies to center where Adam Jones makes the grab. Ryan Zimmerman pops out to left and it's a 1-2-3 first for the O's right-hander...Luis Atilano gets Corey Patterson to fly out to center on a 1-0 pitch. Miguel Tejada flies out to Nats' left fielder Josh Willingham. Nick Markakis lines a 2-0 pitch to the gap but Nyjer Morgan gets there and Atilano's through the first.
2 - Adam Dunn walks to start the Nats' second. Josh Willingham grounds into a DP, Julio Lugo to Scott Moore to Ty Wiggington. Two down for Jeremy Guthrie. Roger Bernadina takes a full-count fastball inside for ball four. Mike Morse flies to center for Guthrie's second scoreless...Ty Wiggington gets a grounder by a diving Zimmerman but not Alberto Gonzalez. One down on the General's throw to first. Luke Scott swings at a sinking full-count change that drops out of the zone. Adam Jones flies to right, Bernadina's catch ends the second.
3 - Miguel Tejada robs Alberto Gonzalez with diving stab on a high hop and throw to first. Wil Nieves hits a one-hopper back to the mound. Nyjer Morgan walks with two down. Adam Kennedy grounds to Wiggington at first and off his chest, but he makes the play to end the Nats' third...Luis Atilano throws a 3-2 two-seamer by Matt Wieters. Scott Moore K's swinging over a two-strike change for out no.2. Julio Lugo grounds to third, Zim charges and throws as he's wont to...
4 - Guthrie walks Zimmerman to start the fourth, but gets Adam Dunn looking at a 1-2 bender on the outside edge. Josh Willingham lines to center, Adam Jones misjudges it and completely misses!!! RBI triple, Zim scores from first, 1-0 Nats. Roger Bernadina goes all the way the other way, two-run HR to left? Yes left!!! 3-0 Nats. Tejada lunges for a sharp grounder and throws out Morse. Two down. Alberto Gonzalez down swinging. 3-0 Nats...Corey Patterson lines weakly to first on a full-count pitch. Miguel Tejada lines to right and tries for second, but Bernadina plays it on one hop and throws it on one hop to second to nail Tejada!! Two down. Fly ball to left from Nick Markakis, and it's 3-0 Nats after four.
5 - Wil Nieves gets a high hopper almost over but off Guthrie's glove, Lugo makes the play at short. One down. Nyjer Morgan flies out to center. Two down. Adam Kennedy lines over second for a two-out single to right. Ryan Zimmerman flies out to right, still 3-0 Nats in the fifth...Ty Wiggington grounds out to third to start the O's fifth. Luke Scott goes opposite field and drops a double in the left field corner. Adam Jones follows with a double of his own, an RBI hit and a run on the board for the O's, 3-1 Nats. Matt Wieters lines the third straight hit to center. Scott Moore lines to right, four-straight hits. Jones scores, 3-2 Nats. Julio Lugo grounds to third, Zim to Kennedy for out no.1, but Adam Kennedy throws it by first, 3-3 game when Wieters scores. Lugo safe at first and takes second. Corey Patterson's pop-out ends the frame.
6 - Adam Dunn gets hit in the cleat with a curve. Josh Willingham takes a two-strike fastball outside for a called strike three. Roger Bernadina grounds into a force at second, but beats out the throw to first by a mile. (Literally.) Morse flies to the track in right to end the Nats' sixth...MIke Morse gets in under a pop fly from Miguel Tejada. Corey Patterson flies out to Willingham in left. Ty Wiggington pops out to short right, Morse gets back to get it.
7 - Alberto Gonzalez grounds out to his counterpart at short. Jason Berken on for the O's. Wil Nieves pops out to Scott Moore at second. Two down. Nyjer Morgan takes one for a ride, but it dies on the track in left-center...Luke Scott grounds to second, Adam Kennedy fumbles with it but recovers in time to make the play. Adam Jones tests Kennedy's backhand, but AK's up to it. Big Matt Wieters flies to left, but it falls in the Hammer's glove, 3-3 after seven.
8 - Will Ohman vs Adam Kennedy. Single up the middle to start the Nats' eighth. Ryan Zimmerman drills the second single in a row to center, line drive for Zim. Adam Dunn K's swinging through a 2-2 fastball inside. David Hernandez on next for the O's. Josh Willingham K's swinging for the second out. Roger Bernadina takes an 0-2 fastball low and outside for a called strike three to end the Nats' eighth...Tyler Clippard vs Scott Moore. Ground ball to short, Alberto Gonzalez fields and throws. Julio Lugo lines to left for a one-out double. Corey Patterson up, and Lugo strays too far and gets nailed going back to second by Wil Nieves. Tyler Clippard thinks he has strike three on a 2-2 slider and he gives up a line drive double to right on the next pitch to Corey Patterson. Miguel Tejada takes a 2-0 fastball back up the middle for a tie-breaking double to center. 4-3 O's. Nick Markakis gets the intentionals. Ty Wiggington pops up to second to end the eighth.
9 - Michael Morse steps in against Alfredo Simon. Morse K's swinging through a 97mph heater. One down. Willie Harris walks with one down. Pudge Rodriguez flies out to right field, Markakis with the catch. Nyjer Morgan rips a one hopper to Scott Moore and it's over. O's win 4-3.