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Gausman, Joseph help O's top Nationals

Aug 5, 2014 - 4:33 AM Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Caleb Joseph homered and matched a career-high with three runs batted in as the Baltimore Orioles rallied to a 7-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday.

Kevin Gausman (6-3) yielded three runs on eight hits over six innings for Baltimore, winners in eight of 11 games.

"I just had to grind," Gausman said. "My best pitch, my split-change, wasn't really there tonight until the last two innings, but I threw some good ones when I needed to."

Nick Markakis also homered for the AL East leaders and J.J. Hardy finished 4- for-4 with two runs scored. The Orioles have won 16 of the last 23 games in the Beltway Series.

Tanner Roark (11-7) was charged with five runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings to take the loss, something the 27-year-old hasn't done in exactly a month. The right-hander had won his last four starts, pitching seven innings of one- run ball in all four. His last loss came on July 4 against the Cubs.

"They're in first place for a reason," Roark said of the Orioles. "They hit the ball well."

The game was played to make up for a rainout on July 8. Baltimore will head to Toronto for a three-game series starting on Tuesday, and the NL East leaders are set to host the Mets.

Trailing 3-2 through six innings, Hardy and Ryan Flaherty hit back-to-back doubles to begin the seventh and tie the game. After Joseph moved Flaherty to third with a sac bunt, pinch-hitter Delmon Young took the first pitch he saw from Roark into center field, putting the Orioles on top.

After a pair of pitching changes, Adam Jones came up with the bases loaded against Craig Stammen and ripped a sharp grounder into left, plating Young.

Joseph pushed a pair of insurance runs across in the eighth with a single to center.

Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos opened the scoring with a homer in the bottom of the second, but Joseph led off the third with a shot of his own to left.

The Nats struck again a half inning later, when Denard Span doubled and scored on Jayson Werth's sacrifice fly to center. They made it 3-1 as Ramos grounded into a double-play in the bottom of the fourth, allowing Bryce Harper to stroll home.

Markakis homered to right in the fifth to pull the O's within a run.

Game Notes

Joseph had three RBI in a game against Texas on July 1 of this season ... Baltimore's last six wins had come by one run ... Prior to the game, the Nationals placed outfielder Nate McLouth on the 15-day disabled list and recalled outfielder Steven Souza Jr. from Triple-A Syracuse.