Washington @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Jul 10, 2015 ) Washington 2, Baltimore 3
Jonathan Schoop has made an immediate impact since returning from the 60-day disabled list, highlighted by his solo blast with two outs in the ninth inning Friday for his first career walk-off homer. Schoop looks to continue his power surge when the host Orioles vie for their seventh win in eight meetings with the Washington Nationals as the Beltway Series continues Saturday.
Schoop's homer in the 3-2 victory was his second in five games and Adam Jones also went deep for the second time in four outings, but he's just 3-for-15 in his career versus Saturday starter Jordan Zimmermann. Washington manager Matt Williams confirmed that Zimmermann would get the start despite the pitcher welcoming the birth of daughter Ava on Friday, and he wouldn't mind seeing some offense to boot. The injury-riddled Nationals have scored three or fewer runs on seven occasions during a 3-5 stretch. Washington has dropped three in a row to see its lead in the National League East trimmed to two games, while Baltimore posted its third win in 11 outings to remain three games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East.
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Jordan Zimmermann (7-5, 3.04 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Miguel Gonzalez (7-5, 3.87)
Zimmermann turned in his third consecutive brilliant start on Sunday, allowing one run on three hits and striking out eight in seven innings en route to a 3-1 victory over San Francisco. The 29-year-old has permitted one run on 15 hits and fanned 17 during that stretch (22 2/3 innings). Zimmermann has struggled mightily in his career versus Baltimore, falling to 1-3 after yielding seven runs on 10 hits in his last meeting.
After splitting a pair of decisions despite lackluster performances, Gonzalez picked up the win on Saturday following a one-run, four-hit effort over six innings versus the Chicago White Sox. The 29-year-old has pitched well at home, posting a 3-1 mark with a 1.06 WHIP while limiting the opposition to a .215 batting average. Gonzalez is making his first career start versus Washington.
WALK-OFFS
1. Baltimore C Matt Wieters collected three hits in the series opener and is 6-for-12 with two doubles in his last four games.
2. Washington SS Ian Desmond has hit safely in three straight contests after going 0-for-18 in his previous five.
3. Orioles 3B Manny Machado is 5-for-14 with two homers and three runs scored during his four-game hitting streak.
PREDICTION: Orioles 4, Nationals 2