Orioles' success against top starters continues in 7-3 victory over Nationals
BALTIMORE — The Orioles’ lineup for the second game of their series with the Washington Nationals featured no homegrown players, with six of its occupants being waiver claims after their prior organizations no longer wanted to fit them into their rosters.
But every member of that starting nine got a hit Saturday at Camden Yards and helped continue the Orioles’ trend of putting up a fight against the top starters they’ll face in a geography-bound schedule. Baltimore struck early against Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin, hanging onto that lead for a 7-3 victory, their seventh in eight games.
The Orioles (12-8) have gone 6-2 in games started by New York’s Gerrit Cole, Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler and Jake Arrieta, and Washington’s Corbin and Stephen Strasburg, a group that includes two former No. 1 overall picks, two Cy Young Award winners and five nine-figure contracts.
The opposing aces combined for a 6.82 ERA against the Orioles, who went to work quickly against Corbin on Saturday. Anthony Santander drew a one-out walk in the first, putting two in scoring position when Jose Iglesias doubled. Catcher Pedro Severino, a former National, continued his success against his old club by stroking a two-run double down the left-field line.
