• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Marquis, Nationals take on Orioles in DC

Jun 17, 2011 - 3:17 PM (Sports Network) - Resurgent right-hander Jason Marquis and the streaking Washington Nationals meet their adjacent interleague rivals for the first of three games tonight versus the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park.

The hosts won their sixth straight game on Thursday and completed their first sweep of St. Louis in three seasons when Danny Espinosa belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning to seal a 7-4 victory.

Jayson Werth, Roger Bernadina and Laynce Nix all had solo shots for the Nationals.

On four days rest, starter John Lannan was solid through seven innings for the Nationals. He gave up just two runs on six hits, but did not factor into the decision as Sean Burnett (2-3) recorded the win with a scoreless 10th.

The recent run has lifted Washington within three games of .500 at 33-36, though they still trail the Philadelphia Phillies -- who've won seven in a row -- by 10 1/2 games in the National League's East Division.

Baltimore also comes into the matchup off a victory, which came Thursday night when rookie Ryan Adams' run-scoring single in a two-run ninth inning was the difference in a 4-3 victory at Toronto.

The win ended a 16-game road loss streak for the Orioles, who are 11-17 away from home and nine games behind the front-running Boston Red Sox in the American League's East Division.

J.J. Hardy had a solo home run and Vladimir Guerrero went 3-for-4 with an RBI double for the Orioles, who won in Toronto for the first time since Aug. 7, 2009.

Starter Jeremy Guthrie allowed only one hit and one walk over five innings before leaving with a back strain. Jason Berken (1-2) picked up the win for Baltimore, tossing two perfect innings of relief.

Washington's Marquis, who'll turn 33 years old in August, has been one of the league's biggest turnaround stories this season after winning just twice in 13 starts during an injury-racked 2010.

He picked up his seventh triumph in 13 starts this season on June 10, allowing three hits and a run in six innings of a 2-1 victory at San Diego.

The Manhasset, N.Y. native returns after a five-game suspension he incurred for hitting Justin Upton with a pitch during Washington's 9-4 win at Arizona one start earlier on June 5.

Marquis, who claimed hitting Upton was not intentional, dropped his appeal and served the suspension from June 11-16, not missing a scheduled start.

He was touched for eight hits and five runs in four innings of the Nationals' 17-5 rout of the Orioles on May 20 and has allowed 16 hits and 14 runs in 11 career innings against Baltimore.

The Orioles turn to 23-year-old rookie Zach Britton, who comes in off the sixth win of his career in his last start.

The California-born lefty allowed four hits and a run in 6 1/3 innings of Baltimore's 3-2 defeat of Oakland on June 8, improving to 6-4 on the season and ending a six-start drought that had left him winless since May 1.

In 82 big-league innings, Britton has allowed 72 hits and struck out 47 batters, while walking 29 and giving up 29 earned runs.

He has never faced the Nationals.

Baltimore won two of three against Washington from May 20-22 this season at Camden Yards and is 110-140 against the National League. Washington owns a 118-132 ledger in interleague play.