Opposite dugout: Despite abundant power, Orioles aren't a one-dimensional team

Manager: Buck Showalter (7th season)

Record: 67-56

Last 10 games: 4-6

Who to watch: 3B Manny Machado (.303/.358/.553 with 28 HR, 74 RBIs), CF Adam Jones (24 HR, 73 RBIs), RF Mark Trumbo (37 HR, 90 RBIs), 1B Chris Davis (29 HR, 67 RBIs), LF Hyun Soo Kim (.321/.399/.428), RHP Chris Tillman (15-5, 3.76 ERA), LHP Zach Britton (37 saves, 0.54 ERA, 0.81 WHIP)

Season series vs. Nationals: 1st meeting (4-2 in 2015)

Pitching probables:

Aug. 22: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Dylan Bundy, 7:05 p.m., MASN2
Aug. 23: RHP Reynaldo Lopez vs. RHP Kevin Gausman, 7:05 p.m., MASN2
Aug. 24: LHP Wade Miley vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 7:05 p.m., MASN
Aug. 25: RHP Chris Tillman vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 7:05 p.m., MASN

Inside the Orioles:

There's a tendency to pigeonhole the Orioles as a one-dimensional team, capable of beating foes into submission only with the longball. Yes, the O's mash a lot of homers. Yes, their pitching can be suspect at times. But pegging the Birds as a team that has only one strength - the longball - will get opponents in trouble. No team remains in contention this deep into the season by doing only one thing well. The Orioles may possess a wealth of power bats - they lead the majors in home runs with 192, and feature four players with 24 or more homers - but they're hardly a one-trick pony. Manager Buck Showalter is renowned for his preparation and the ability to extract the best out of each of his players. Even though they've lost three straight and fallen into third place in the American League East, 2 1/2 games off the lead, don't be surprised if the Orioles aren't in the division race right up to the end, and they'll definitely be a player in the wild card race. Regardless, this interleague battle between two teams with first-place aspirations will be a litmus test for both.

When the Nationals last saw the O's, center fielder Adam Jones wasn't the leadoff hitter. Since being inserted into that spot in the lineup in late May, all he's done is slash .299/.333/.519 and hit 19 of his 24 homers. The 3-4-5 bats in the Birds order usually belong to third baseman Manny Machado, DH/right fielder Mark Trumbo and first baseman Chris Davis (in some order). Machado is having another Gold Glove season at the hot corner and has 64 extra-base hits to go along with a .303 average, 28 homers and 74 RBIs. Trumbo, an offseason trade acquisition from the Mariners, leads the majors with 37 homers and the Orioles with 90 RBIs. Davis signed a seven-year, $161 million deal to remain with the Orioles last winter, and though his batting average has dropped off, he's still slugged 29 homers, including a streak of four straight games with a clout that ended Sunday. Shortstop J.J. Hardy has slashed .333/.444/.778 since the All-Star break, second baseman Jonathan Schoop has 19 homers and 64 RBIs, left fielder Hyun Soo Kim leads the O's with a .399 on-base percentage and DH Pedro Alvarez has contributed 19 homers in 265 at-bats. Even though it looks like the Orioles live and die by the home run, they're capable of doing damage up and down the lineup.

Right-hander Dylan Bundy starts the first of two games in Baltimore on Monday, and is coming off his worst outing since joining the rotation in July - he allowed five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings in an Aug. 17 loss to Boston. A former top prospect who has had his career derailed by injuries, Bundy is 4-3 with a 3.65 ERA as a starter. Bundy is 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA in interleague games, but has never faced Washington. Righty Kevin Gausman is 4-10 with a 4.11 ERA, but his stats are deceiving considering the lack of run support and bad luck he's encountered. He's struggled against the Nationals in his career, going 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts, and is only 1-5 with a 5.15 ERA in interleague play. Gausman's first victory of 2016 didn't come until June 25 in his 13th outing; including that start, he's 4-5 since then. Until the Orioles acquired lefty Wade Miley in a July 31 deal with the Mariners, they hadn't had a southpaw start a game this year. His Orioles tenure hasn't gone well; he's 0-2 with a 9.53 ERA in four starts, and Miley lasted only 1 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits, in his last start on Aug. 19. But he's 1-1 with an 0.92 ERA in three career starts at Nationals Park, so maybe a trip down the Baltimore-Washington Parkway will be the cure to his ills. Right-hander Chris Tillman draws a marquee assignment against Washington's Max Scherzer in the second of two games in D.C. on Thursday. Tillman had his last start pushed back a couple of days by right shoulder soreness, then lasted only two innings against the Astros, allowing six runs on Saturday.

While the rotation has struggled, the Orioles bullpen has picked up a lot of the slack, keeping them in contention. Baltimore relievers have a 3.42 ERA, tied for second-lowest in the American League, and set-up men Brad Brach and Mychal Givens have combined to go 15-3. But there's no reliever more dominant than closer Zach Britton, the groundball-inducing lefty who has converted all 37 of his save opportunities, employing a nasty sinker to post a 0.54 ERA and 0.81 WHIP.