The Baltimore Orioles returned the favor Saturday after an embarrassing game one, scoring four runs in the third and seventh innings to beat John Lannan and the Washington Nationals 8-3, ending a four-game skid, before 33,107 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The Nationals got on the board first in the third inning on a single by Jerry Hairston, Jr., and a ground rule double by Ian Desmond.
Laynce Nix then hit a shot up the line at first that Orioles’ Brandon Snyder backed up on and then booted towards the crowd behind the base. That allowed Hairston and Desmond to score and the Nationals led, 2-0.
But then the Orioles would score eight unanswered runs and cruise rest of the way.
The Orioles stormed back against John Lannan in the bottom of the third. After a walk, Nolan Reimold cranked his first homer of the season into the left field stands and the game was tied at 2-2.
After two outs were recorded, the Birds reeled off four consecutive singles against Lannan. Coupled with a drop ball error by left fielder Layne Nix, the Orioles tallied four runs to lead, 4-2.
The Birds recorded four straight singles again in a back-breaking seventh inning.
The Orioles got to Lannan again in the seventh with back-to-back doubles by Brandon Snyder and Robert Andino and the Birds led, 5-2.
After Cole Kimball got Adam Jones to groundout, Nick Markakis slapped a single off of Kimball up the middle and the Orioles led, 6-2. Matt Wieters followed with another run-scoring single and the Birds extended their lead to 7-2. Another single, this time from J.J. Hardy, lifted the Birds to an 8-2 advantage.
Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie was outstanding, not allowing an earned in seven innings of work, with five hits, one walk and four strikeouts for his first win since April 1.
The Orioles Vladimir Guerrero with two singles, setting a career-high with seven straight multi-hit games.
The Nationals beat the Orioles 17-5 Friday on 19 hits, but Saturday managed only four hits after the third inning.
The rubber game of the series comes Sunday as righties Jordan Zimmermann and Chris Tillman tangle at 1 p.m. on Sports Radio 106.7 The Fan.
