Nationals’ lineup vs Orioles + Dusty Baker on one-run games...

Last night’s 4-3 loss in Baltimore was the Washington Nationals’ second consecutive one-run loss after they dropped the series finale in Atlanta, 7-6.

It snapped a streak of three-straight wins in one-run games and left the Nationals 19-15 on the year in one-run games.

Dusty Baker talked to reporters after the loss about the importance of coming out on top in close games.

“You can look back on one-run games, and they’ve been kind of haunting us on the road this year,” Baker said after the Nationals lost their 10th of 18 one-run games on the road.

“We’ve certainly got to get better, because we take pride in winning those one-run games.

“Like we said in Spring Training, the team that wins one-run games is usually the one that’s out in front and going to stay out front.

“This is what it’s going to be kind of like in playoff baseball, because they’re not going to let the game get out of hand. You’re going to have to get some two-out hits and execute like tonight with the runner on second and nobody out. Cause the scores are generally going to be close like it is now.”

The “runner on second and nobody out” situation in last night’s game took place in the eighth, when Daniel Murphy doubled to start the frame, but got caught in no-man’s land off second and was tagged out on a grounder back to the mound in the next at bat.

The Nationals eventually got runners on second and third with two outs, but Ryan Zimmerman K’d chasing to end the threat and Orioles’ closer Zach Britton finished them off in the ninth to seal the 4-3 win.

Will the Nationals have better luck if it’s a close one tonight?

Here’s the Nats’ lineup for the second of two in OPACY: