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The rain was heavy and relentless. As the puddles grew deeper on the tarp at Nationals
Park LeGarrette
Blount Jersey , the Baltimore Orioles were left to wonder if their bid for
a rare road victory would be thwarted by, of all things, the weather.
During a season in which very little has worked in their favor, the Orioles withstood a long rain delay to beat the Washington Nationals 3-0 Wednesday
night.
Baltimore led 2-0 after four innings when play was stopped. After a wait of 2 hours, 43 minutes, the game resumed with a few hundred fans from the announced
crowd of 32,153 sprinkled around the lower seating bowl.
Mark Trumbo homered for Baltimore, and Andrew Cashner and four relievers combined on a five-hitter in a game that ended long after midnight.
”It was nice,” Trumbo said. ”I’m glad that we actually kept the game going. Had we not been able to, it might have been a wash. But it ended up being pretty
big for us.”
Baltimore ended a six-game losing streak to Washington that began last May, won for only the fourth time in 20 games and improved the majors’ worst road
record to 10-28.
This one was worth the wait.
”It’s never easy, especially when you get over the hour mark, two-hour mark,” Trumbo said. ”Then you have to restart. It’s almost two games in one,
so Christopher
Tanev Jersey , great job by our guys tonight.”
The Nationals managed only two hits following the delay, both in the ninth inning.
”It happens. You can’t do anything about the rain,” manager Dave Martinez said. ”You’ve got to come out and get yourself ready to play. I’m not going to
make any excuses.”
The rain delay cut short a solid pitching performance by Cashner, who allowed three hits and no walks over four innings in his return from an 11-day stay on
the disabled list with back spasms.
Miguel Castro (2-2) followed with two hitless innings, Darren O’Day pitched a perfect seventh and Zach Britton got four outs.
Brad Brach allowed the Nationals to load the bases with two outs in the ninth before striking out Mark Reynolds .
Trumbo hit a two-run homer in the second inning off Gio Gonzalez (6-4), and for a while it appeared the drive would be washed out by the rain.
”One pitch. That was the whole game,” Gonzalez lamented. ”That was it.”
Indeed, it all ended well for the Orioles, who added a run in the sixth when Adam Jones doubled off Shawn Kelley and scored on a sacrifice fly by Danny
Valencia .
BRYCE STRUGGLES
Nationals OF Bryce Harper went 0 for 4, dropping his batting average to .209.
Martinez said Harper has been working hard with batting coach Kevin Long, and the manager expects the five-time All-Star to end his prolonged slump with a
flourish.
”He’s going to hit. I know he’s going to carry us for a month or two or for whatever,” Martinez said.
WAITING FOR DAVIS
Now in the third year of a seven-year, $161 million contract, Baltimore’s Chris Davis is batting .150 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 57 games. He last
played on June 11, when he went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts against
Boston.
Since then Authentic
Daniel Sedin Jersey , Davis has been working on his swing and improving
his mental outlook. His return appears imminent.
”A couple of days,” manager Buck Showalter said. ”We’re pretty close to it.”
OH, BROTHER
With Cashner coming off the DL, the Orioles optioned infielder Corban Joseph to Double-A Bowie. That ended the 24-hour, feel-good story of Corban and catcher
Caleb Joseph as brothers on the same team.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: 3B Tim Beckham (core surgery) went 1 for 4 with 3 strikeouts in a rehab game with Triple-A Norfolk. … RHP Chris Tillman (back) began his rehab
assignment by giving up three runs in two innings for Class A Aberdeen.
Nationals: Martinez said patience is the key in awaiting the return of RHP Stephen Strasburg (shoulder). ”We’re really going to take our time and make sure
he’s 100 percent,” the manager said. … 1B Ryan Zimmerman (oblique) is taking
grounders and some swings. … C Matt Wieters (oblique) caught in the bullpen but
is not yet running at full speed.
UP NEXT
Orioles: Kevin Gausman (3-6, 4.48 ERA) pitches the finale of the three-game series Wednesday night.
Nationals: Max Scherzer (10-3, 2.06) tries to avoid his first three-game losing streak since August 2015.
—

PHOENIX — Like pitching?
The final game of the St. Louis-Arizona series Wednesday features a couple starters who have had strong seasons but also should be considered
under-the-radar All-Star candidates, at least for those who have not been paying
close attention.
You could look it up.
Arizona left-hander Patrick Corbin and St. Louis right-hander Miles Mikolas rank in the top 10 among NL qualifiers in ERA, WHIP, WAR and innings pitched.
The only statistical difference is in strikeouts, where Corbin is tied for
second and Mikolas is down the pack. Mikolas compensates by pitching to contact
and getting the majority of his outs on the ground.
They are compatible in one more way — each has received below-average run support. Corbin has received the fourth-fewest, 3.65 per start. Mikolas’ support
checks in under the league average.
Arizona used a three-run homer from Paul Goldschmidt to take a 4-2 victory Tuesday as the teams have split the first two games of the series. Arizona will
conclude a 10-game homestand with a four-game set with San Diego beginning
Thursday, when the Cardinals open a four-game series in San Francisco before
finishing a nine-game trip in Chicago against the White Sox.
Mikolas, 29 Youth
Josh Allen Jersey , has been perhaps the most pleasant surprise in the
major leagues this season, signing with the Cardinals over the winter after
three strong seasons for the Yomiuri Giants in the Japanese Central League. He
was 3-13 with a 2.18 ERA in 62 starts in Japan after being released by Texas in
November 2014.
“Obviously this season he’s been fantastic,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “He should be sitting on 10 wins right now. Two of the losses he had, he
had us right there. He just matched up with a pitcher we couldn’t get much going
against. Miles has been very good.”
Mikolas has made 11 quality starts, tied for fourth in the league. After starting the season 6-0, he has lost three of his five decisions in June despite
posting five quality starts and giving up one earned run in two of his
losses.
“A guy who just attacks the strike zone,” Matheny said.
“He has very good stuff. Doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Not afraid to use his defense. He has been just an incredible surprise for us. What a great pickup
for our organization and a salute to our scouts who are finding people like
Miles who are out there.
“He figured something out while he was in Japan. The way he goes about his business, not just how he competes but how he prepares, you could see that being
something that sticks around for awhile.”
Mikolas and Corbin are tied for second in the league in WHIP (0.99). Mikolas is sixth and Corbin ninth in ERA and innings pitched, and Mikolas is seventh and
Corbin ninth in WAR.
Each has one of the five shutouts thrown in the NL this season. Washington’s Max Scherzer, Pittsburgh’s Jameson Taillon and Atlanta’s Mike Foltynewicz have
the others.
Corbin, 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA, has made two straight quality starts, giving up only one run and in 13 innings, but did not receive a decision in either game.
He had extra rest the last time through the rotation after pitching seven
scoreless innings while striking out 12 in a no-decision at
Pittsburgh Kenny
Golladay Jersey , when he threw a season-high 102 pitches. He gave up one
run in six innings against San Francisco on Friday, pitching on six days’
rest.
“He (gets) into trouble, doesn’t get rattled, and continues to pound the zone and get big outs. He’s done a very good job,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo
said.
Jeff Mathis, one of two healthy catchers on the Arizona roster with Alex Avila on the disabled list, will catch Corbin for the third straight start.
“I like the way Jeff gets Patrick to do certain things at certain times and shows confidence in certain pitches, and helps him execute by showing that
confidence,” Lovullo said. “Jeff has such respect from anyone on this staff that
when he asks for something they listen.”
Corbin has received 3.65 runs per start, tied for the third fewest in the league. He is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in four career starts against St. Louis and is
4-3 with a 3.69 ERA in 10 starts at home this sesaon.
Mikolas, who spent previous major league seasons with San Diego and Texas, has never started against Arizona and has given one run in 4 1/3 innings in two
career relief appearances, a Justin Upton homer in 2012. This will be his first
appearance at Chase Field.www.billsfootballauthentics.com