Nats and Orioles set for Beltway Series with slim playoff hopes alive

The Nationals and Orioles enter their Beltway Series clinging to slim playoff hopes. Baltimore is coming off a crushing 7-6 loss at Tampa Bay where closer Zach Britton blew a save by surrendering two runs in the bottom of the ninth. The Orioles are 5 1/2 games back of the Astros for the second Wild Card spot with 13 games remaining, but they must also leapfrog three teams - the Angels, Twins and Indians - to get there.

Meanwhile, the Mets dropped two of three in their Subway Series to the Yankees, allowing the Nationals to pull within six games of first place in the National League East with also 13 games left. The Nats have won seven of their last 10 games since suffering the damaging sweep to New York in D.C. Sept. 7-9.

"They're playing," Nationals manager Matt Williams said after yesterday's 13-3 victory. "They continue to play. They haven't quit from the first day of the regular season and they won't until the end of the season. I'm proud of them for that. I'm proud of them for how they prepare every day and have desire to win."

The Nats are tasked to make up at least three more games on the Mets over the next 10 games before the two teams square off for their season-ending series at Citi Field Oct. 2-4. After their series with the Orioles, the Nats have three games against the Phillies and one against the Reds to wrap their home schedule, and then head to the road for three games in Atlanta.

The Mets have the Braves at home for the next three before embarking on a seven-game road trip with four in Cincinnati and three in Philadelphia before the Nats visit Citi Field for the three-game finale.

"I believe the best way to play is to not even thinking about that and just playing relaxed like we have been and playing good baseball," said Yunel Escobar after his 4-for-4 four-RBI performance on Sunday. "Obviously, it's there, but the less we think about it as a team, I believe the better we have a chance of catching up to them."

The Mets have dropped four of their last five games leaving the Nats' October dreams lingering.

"We're thinking about it all the time," Tyler Moore said homering for the second straight game yesterday. "Hopefully, it happens. It's definitely possible. That's the goal is to make the playoffs. We're just going to try to play the best we can from here on out."

The Nationals took two of three from the Orioles in Baltimore in the final series before the All-Star break. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez started the Nats' lone loss, but left in the seventh with a one-run lead before the Orioles tied the game in the eighth and then won on Jonathan's Schoop's walk-off homer off Tanner Roark in the ninth.

Gonzalez takes the mound tonight after going 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA over his last three starts. He matched his career-high with 12 strikeouts in a 12-2 win over the Phillies last Wednesday.

The Orioles send right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez to the hill with an 11-9 record and 4.31 ERA on the season.

At this point last year, the Nationals and Orioles had already clinched division crown and were on their way to wrapping up 96-win seasons.