Washington Nationals cruise to 8-1 win over Baltimore Orioles: Austin Voth impresses vs O’s...

Austin Voth worked his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the first, then cruised through six innings on the mound in which he gave up just four hits, a walk, and one earned run, as the Washington Nationals beat Baltimore’s Orioles 8-1 in the first game of two this week in Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Voth vs the O’s: With Max Scherzer on the IL, the Nationals needed a starter for tonight’s series opener with the Orioles, so they turned to Austin Voth again after the right-hander was optioned to Double-A Harrisburg to open up an extra roster spot as the All-Star Break approached.

“I like what Austin’s done when he was up here, and then his last outing down there he pitched really, really well,” Davey Martinez said over the weekend in Citizens Bank Park, according to MASN’s Byron Kerr.

“I like the fact that he goes out there and he has presence. he has poise. He’s throwing the ball well. We’re going to give him another opportunity to start.”

Through three outings this season, the 27-year-old right-hander had a 5.52 ERA, five walks, 16 Ks, and a .259/.328/.448 line against in 14 ²⁄₃ IP, but he’d gone just 4 ¹⁄₃ innings with high pitch counts in his previous two starts before tonight’s game against the O’s.

Voth worked his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the Orioles’ first, but given a 1-0 lead to work with in the top of the second, he gave it right back, leaving an 0-1 change up and over the outside of the plate for Hanser Alberto, who hit a solo shot out to left on a line for a game-tying home run, 1-1.

Voth held the Orioles there through five, throwing a total of just 72 pitches, and he took the mound with a 4-1 lead in the sixth, and retired the O’s in order in a 12-pitch frame which left him at 84 total on the night.

Austin Voth’s Line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 1 HR, 84 P, 57 S, 5/4 GO/FO.

W-O-J-C-I-E-C-H-O-W-S-K-I [DING!]: Asher Wojciechowski, 30, made 30 appearances for the Houston Astros (2015) and Cincinnati Reds (2017) before returning to the majors with the Orioles earlier this month after Baltimore acquired the right-hander from Cleveland for cash on July 1st.

In two starts and three total appearances before tonight, the one-time Toronto Blue Jays’ 1st Round pick was (0-2) with a 6.10 ERA and a .244/.326/.512 line against in 10 ¹⁄₃ IP.

In his third start of the 2019 campaign, the righty tossed a scoreless, 26-pitch first, working around a HBP, but a 1-0 changeup up and in to Matt Adams in the second ended up on Eutaw Street for home run No. 14 of 2019 for the Nationals’ slugger and the 102nd homer to leave Oriole Park via right field, 1-0.

It was 1-1 in the third when Wojciechowski gave up one and two-out doubles, by Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon, respectively, with Rendon’s two-bagger to right driving Turner in from second for a 2-1 Nationals’ lead. Double No. 17 for Turner and No. 24 for Rendon.

It was still 2-1 in the sixth when Juan Soto got all of a 91 MPH 2-1 fastball from Wojciechowski and hit it out to left for his 17th home run of 2019 and a 3-1 lead. That was it for the O’s right-hander...

Asher Wojciechowski’s Line: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 Ks, 2 HRs, 95 P, 59 S, 1/6 GO/FO.

Regional “Rivalry”: Outside of the courtroom there hasn’t been much animosity or much of a rivalry between the Nationals and Orioles over the years since baseball returned to D.C. in 2005.

Going into this two-game set in Oriole Park, Baltimore owned a 39-31 record vs Washington, though the Nationals (who started the Interleague “rivalry” with 36 losses in the first 59 with the Orioles), had won seven of the last eight and eight of the last 11 against the Orioles since August 25, 2016, including going 5-1 against the O’s in 2018.

Tonight’s win left the Nationals 32-39 in the all-time series with the Orioles with one more to go in OPACY.

BULLPEN ACTION: Shawn Armstrong took over on the mound for the Orioles with one out in the Nationals’ half of the sixth and gave up a two-out single by Brian Dozier, who stole a base, and moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a balk.

O’s righty Miguel Castro gave up a two-out walk to Adam Eaton and an RBI double to right by Anthony Rendon in the top of the seventh as the Nationals went up 5-1. Rendon’s 25th double.

Tanner Rainey worked around two walks for a scoreless seventh inning.

Jimmy Yacabonis walked Dozier with two out in the eighth, and Dozier took second on an errant throw on a pick attempt, before scoring on an RBI single by Victor Robles, 6-1.

Javy Guerra, in his first appearance since July 5th, retired the Orioles in order for a scoreless eighth.

O’s righty Tayler Scott gave up a one-out single by Adam Eaton, hit Anthony Rendon, and then surrendered an RBI single by Juan Soto that made it a 7-1 game.

Matt Adams singled to right to drive Rendon in and make it an 8-1 game.

Guerra returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth and retired the Orioles in order to end it. Ballgame.

Nationals now 50-43