Adam Lind comes up clutch in a pinch again for Nationals

BALTIMORE - If it wasn't for another bullpen collapse, Adam Lind would have been the hero for the Nationals again.

His third pinch-hit homer of the season, a three-run shot in the eighth inning, broke a 1-1 tie to give the Nationals a 4-1 lead over the Orioles.

But the Nationals eventually lost 5-4 in 12 innings.

Still, what a find the Nationals have in Lind. And even more impressive: three pinch-hit homers in the season's first 33 games.

Lind's three pinch-hit homers are the most by a Nationals player since 2005, tied with seven other players, and it's a who's who of clutch late-inning hitters from the past and present: Chris Heisey, Stephen Drew, Scott Hairston, Willie Harris, Daryle Ward, Chad Tracy and Tyler Moore.

Lind is well on his way to shattering that mark. He now has eight pinch-hit homers in his career.

Manager Dusty Baker said the Lind homer was a big moment for the Nationals. It just didn't end the way the club had hoped.

"That's very beneficial. But that's why we give him a start every three or four days, to keep him sharp so he can do that off the bench," Baker said.

Lind can't explain why he has the touch off the bench when his club needs him the most.

"It's hard to explain. I don't really know," he said. "Stephen Drew told me I'm the right type of guy. Right personality for it. Maybe that's why."

And what kind of personality is that?

"I don't know. You got to ask him," Lind said.

Lind explained his mentality in the pinch-hitting role as the game dwindles down.

"I just try and be loose and just try and have an at-bat after that," Lind said. "I try not to put too much pressure on it because you're kind of expected to get out, so I think from the advantage from mental side of it is in my favor."

Lind did not have a great night in Monday's loss at Camden Yards. In the ninth, he misread a double by Matt Wieters and did not score. Later in the inning, he got caught off of third base for the game's final out.

Did redeeming himself with the three-run homer the next night make a difference to Lind?

"That was yesterday. not real worried about what happened," Lind said.