Washington Nationals implode late in finale with Baltimore Orioles, lose 9-2; settle for a split, etc.

Erick Fedde returned to the Washington Nationals’ rotation tonight in Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and went six strong on the mound, in which he gave up a run on five hits, but Wander Suero had four of the five batters he faced reach base in the seventh, and Baltimore scored three runs total in the inning, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead, and the Orioles piled on a few more runs for their 29th win of the season, earning a split of the two-game set, with a 9-2 victory.

Fedde vs the Orioles: In six starts this season, before he was called up tonight to face the Orioles in Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 26-year-old righty Erick Fedde, who started out in the bullpen before moving to the Nationals’ rotation, was (1-1) with 3.94 ERA, 15 walks, 15 strikeouts, and a .270/.367/.423 line against in 29 ²⁄₃ IP.

Fedde hadn’t pitched since July 2nd with Triple-A Fresno when he took the mound tonight and tossed 3 ¹⁄₃ scoreless to start as the Nationals jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but a 3-1 pitch (a fastball) up in the zone to Trey Mancini went out to center for a solo shot in the Orioles’ half of the fourth, tying things up at 1-1.

It was 2-1 Nationals in the fifth, when Fedde worked around a one-out single by getting an inning-ending 5-6-3 DP in a seven-pitch frame that left him at 58 total after five, and three groundouts in an eight-pitch sixth ended his outing after 66 pitches total...

Erick Fedde’s Line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 Ks, 1 HR, 66 P, 40 S, 9/2 GO/FO.

Brooks vs the Nationals: Selected off waivers from the Oakland A’s earlier this month, 29-year-old right-hander Aaron Brooks was (2-3) in six starts for the Athletics earlier this year, before moving into the bullpen. Brooks returned to a starting role with the O’s and went 2 ²⁄₃ scoreless in his debut for Baltimore on July 13th.

In his second start for the Orioles, Brooks tossed two scoreless to start, on 26 pitches, but a one-out single (by Victor Robles), hit-by-pitch (on Yan Gomes), and walk (by Trea Turner) in the top of the third loaded the bases in front of Adam Eaton, who hit a sac fly to left field to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead.

Anthony Rendon loaded them up with a single in the next at bat, and after 56 pitches, in 2 ²⁄₃ IP, Brooks was done for the night...

Aaron Brooks’ Line: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 Ks, 56 P, 29 S, 4/3 GO/FO.

Robles is Streaking: Coming into tonight’s game, 21-year-old outfielder Victor Robles had a six-game hit streak going, over which he was 8 for 23 (.348/.375/.565) with two doubles, a home run, and a walk, and he’d hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games going back to June 25th, with a .286/.355/.464 line over that stretch. He extended his hit streak to seven straight with a one-out single in the top of the third tonight, moved to second base on a hit-by-pitch on Yan Gomes, then stole third as part of a double steal, before scoring on a sac fly for the first run of the game.

BULLPEN ACTION: Gabriel Ynoa came on for the O’s with the bases loaded and two out in the top of the third and Juan Soto at the plate, and got a fly to center to keep it 1-0 Nats.

Ynoa retired the Nats in order in the fourth, but took the mound in a tie game, 1-1, in the top of the fifth, and gave up back-to-back, two-out doubles, with both Trea Turner (No. 18) and Adam Eaton hitting line drives to center to put the Nationals back on top, 2-1.

Another 1-2-3 frame in the seventh left Ynoa at 67 pitches overall after 4 ¹⁄₃ IP.

Wander Suero took over on the mound for the Nationals in the bottom of the seventh and issued a leadoff walk to the first batter he faced, Trey Mancini, and gave up a single on a 3-2 cutter to Chance Sisco. Renato Núñez hit a sac fly to right to move Mancini to third with one out, and Anthony Santander gave up an RBI single that tied things up at 2-2. Chris Davis hit an RBI single to center in the next at bat and the O’s went up 3-2. That was it for Suero...

Tony Sipp came on with two on and one out and walked Stevie Wilkerson to load’em up with one out and Rio Ruiz due up, and gave up another sac fly, 4-2 after seven.

Paul Fry retired two batters, but Anthony Rendon reached on an error and Juan Soto walked before the O’s went to the pen again for right-hander Mychal Givens vs Howie Kendrick, and Givens got a groundout to end the threat.

Javy Guerra came back out in the bottom of the eighth and had a runner reach on an error before Trey Mancini’s second home run of the night made it 6-2 game in the Orioles’ favor.

Two more runners reached before Guerra was lifted for Matt Grace with runners on second and third with no one out. Anthony Santander hit a sac fly to center off Grace to bring in a third run in the eighth, 7-2, and 8-2 on a Stevie Wilkerson double, and 9-2 on a Rio Ruiz hit...

Givens came back out in the ninth and worked around a leadoff single to end it... 9-2 O’s.

Nationals now 50-44