Opposite dugout: Slumping Orioles still in the thick of AL East race

Manager: Buck Showalter (6th season)

Record: 43-42

Last 10 games: 2-8

Who to watch: 3B Manny Machado (.301/.360/.535 with 19 HR, 48 RBIs), DH Jimmy Paredes (.299, 10 HR), CF Adam Jones (.284/.430/.471 with 11 HR, 40 RBIs), 1B Chris Davis (19 HR, 52 RBIs), LHP Wei-Yin Chen (4-4, 2.82 EA), RHP Darren O'Day (5-0, 1.10 ERA, 0.80 WHIP), LHP Zach Britton (23 saves, 1.77 ERA, 1.04 WHIP)

Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-1 in 2014)

Pitching probables:

July 10: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 7:05 p.m., MASN2
July 11: RHP Jordan Zimmermann vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez, 7:15 p.m. FOX
July 12: RHP Doug Fister vs. LHP Wei-Yin Chen, 1:35 p.m., MASN2

Inside the Orioles:

At the end of play on July 1, the Orioles were six games above .500 and had a half-game lead in the American League East. The division isn't what it used to be, which may be good for the Nats' neighbors to the north. Otherwise, the six losses in seven games that have followed - capped off by a sweep at the hands of the Twins in Minnesota - would have hurt a lot more. As it stands, because the top four teams in the AL East are clustered together, the Orioles are only three behind the first-place Yankees.

Is staying close good enough? Well, Buck Showalter's club has made a habit of thriving by hanging close over the last few years, and has two postseason appearances to show for it, including last season, when the O's reached the American League Championship Series before being swept by the Royals. Few managers are as adept at maneuvering the 40-man roster as Showalter and executive vice president Dan Duquette are, and Showalter gets the most out of his 25-man roster every day.

Not so long ago, the annual interleague games between the Nationals and Orioles were hardly noticeable. But as the teams' fortunes have changed for the better, so has the importance placed on the Battle of the Beltways, which this season begins with the last three games of baseball's first half (the second part of the home-and-home series comes Sept. 21-23 at Nationals Park). When neither team was a contender, this was a friendly if contrived rivalry; now that both have designs on playing into October, the games have substantially more significance. Since the Expos arrived in D.C. for the 2005 season, the series has gone Baltimore's way - the Orioles hold a 29-21 edge since 2006 (remember, the schedule already locked the Nats into a rivalry series with their old Canadian neighbors in Toronto when they announced the move from Montreal, so they didn't play the Orioles in 2005).

Lately, the Orioles have been cold offensively and struggling on the mound. But they do have weapons in the lineup, and a warm, humid evening at Camden Yards can send the ball flying. Remember, a team built on the three-run homer, as opposed to being able to play small ball and move runners up with hit-and-runs or bunts, is always in a ballgame, especially in a ballpark that can be a launching pad in warmer weather.

Third baseman Manny Machado and center fielder Adam Jones have been the most consistent hitters for the Orioles. Machado leads the club's regulars with a .301 average, is tied for the team lead in homers with 19 and has 48 RBIs, while Jones is slashing .284/.330/.471 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs (and is crushing left-handed pitching at a .328 clip). First baseman Chris Davis may not have a high average at .241, but his 19 home runs and 52 RBIs make him dangerous. Since the Orioles are the home team, the designated hitter will be employed, and unheralded Jimmy Paredes has been a boon to the offense with a .299 average and 10 homers, plus a .404/.431/.692 line with runners in scoring position. The Orioles' overall mark with runners in scoring position is .297, second only to Toronto in the AL. They have hit 104 home runs, fifth-most in the majors and have produced the seventh-most runs (378), the 10th-best average (.256) and the sixth-best slugging percentage (.462).

In pitching stats, the Orioles won't wow anyone - most of their key numbers place them in the middle of the pack in the majors. But their potentially dominant bullpen features two All-Stars: sidearming setup man Darren O'Day and groundball-inducing lefty closer Zach Britton. O'Day is 5-0 with a 1.10 ERA and 0.80 WHIP and 43 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings, while Britton has 23 saves in 24 tries and a 1.77 ERA.

Friday starter Chris Tillman has confounded the Orioles this season. Coming off a 13-win campaign and a career-best 3.24 ERA in 2014, Tillman has struggled mightily this season. He'll be trying to reach .500 for the first time since late April, but has alternated good and bad starts over his last eight outings. He was 4-0 in June, but with a 5.13 ERA - not exactly what the Orioles were hoping for out of a guy who was supposed to be the staff ace. He is 3-4 with a 5.70 ERA at home and 4-5 with a 4.69 ERA at night. Opposing batters are hitting .288 against him this year. More troubling is the .306 average right-handers have against the righty. With none on and none out, foes are slashing .321/.421/.532 off Tillman. More often than not, that 92 mph fastball is flattening out over the plate, and that's where opposing hitters are doing their damage. He's made 13 interleague starts, but has only a 2-1 record with a .5.68 ERA. Against the Nationals, he's yet to post a decision in three career starts, with a 4.86 ERA.

Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez starts Saturday, and he's quietly become a very reliable performer (though he's making his fourth start since a stint on the disabled list with a right groin strain). He's coming off a gem on July 5 in which he worked six innings at Chicago against the White Sox, allowing a run on four hits. Gonzalez is 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA in seven home starts, and has a .237 batting average against. He doesn't dominate, but usually keeps his team in the game, a quality that endears him to his teammates. He's tough with runners in scoring position, holding foes to a .204 average. But from his 16th through 30th pitches, opponents slash .340/.400/.700 off him. Gonzalez, who relies on a fastball, slider and splitter, is 2-2 with a 3.29 ERA in six interleague starts. He's never faced the Nationals.

If not for terrible run support, Sunday starter Wei-Yin Chen would have a much better record than the 4-4 mark he brings into the series finale, the final game before the All-Star break. He's won three straight decisions, and hasn't lost in six starts. His fastball/slider combo doesn't look particularly devastating, but he does enough to keep hitters off balance. Right-handers are slashing only .232/.287/.440. But he's holding batters to an .091 average with runners in scoring position. Chen is 5-4 with a 4.22 ERA in 10 interleague starts, but 1-2 with a 6.60 ERA in three lifetime starts against the Nationals.