Nationals beat Orioles 3-1
BALTIMORE — Edwin Jackson took a one-hitter into the seventh inning, Adam LaRoche homered, and the Washington Nationals beat rookie Wei-Yin Chen and the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 on Saturday night.
Michael Morse had two hits and scored a run for the NL East-leading Nationals, who improved to 10-7 in interleague play and 2-3 against Baltimore.
Adam Jones hit his team-high 19th home run for the Orioles, whose six-game home winning streak ended.
Jackson (4-4) gave up one run, four hits and a walk in 6 1-3 innings. He retired the first 12 batters he faced and permitted only one runner past first base through six innings.
After Jones ruined Jackson’s shutout bid by leading off the seventh with a homer, the right-hander retired Matt Wieters on a deep fly before giving up successive singles.
Former Oriole Michael Gonzalez came in and got pinch-hitter Ronny Paulino to line into an inning-ending double play.
Sean Burnett worked the eighth, and Tyler Clippard got three straight outs for his 12th save in 13 tries.
Chen (7-3) allowed three runs, two earned, and six hits in five innings. The Taiwan native won his three previous starts, over Boston, Pittsburgh and Atlanta.
Chen is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in his two outings against Washington and 7-1 in his other 12 starts.
The game attracted 46,298 fans, the fifth sellout at Camden Yards this season. The first was on opening day, and the Phillies and Nationals each drew two packed houses.
Washington went up 2-0 in the second inning. With runners at second and third and two outs, Orioles third baseman Wilson Betemit ranged to his left to grab a grounder by Xavier Nady, then bounced a throw to first that eluded Mark Reynolds. Nady received credit for an RBI single, and the other run came home on the throwing error.
LaRoche led off the fourth with his team-leading 13th homer, a towering fly that dropped over the center-field wall. Eleven of his last 16 hits have been for extra bases.
Baltimore’s first runner came when Jones reached on an error by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman leading off the fifth. He took third on a one-out single by Wilson Betemit, and after a walk loaded the bases with two outs, Jackson retired Steve Pearce on a popup.
NOTES: Jackson is 6-1 lifetime against Baltimore, 4-0 with a 1.02 ERA over the last four seasons. ... The Orioles released 49-year-old LHP Jamie Moyer at his request. Moyer pitched in three games for Triple-A Norfolk after signing a minor-league contract on June 6. ... The Orioles and Nationals wrap up the series, as well as interleague play, on Sunday. Jake Arrieta (2-5 with a 6.85 ERA at home), starts for Baltimore. Ross Detwiler (4-3) goes for Washington. ... Baltimore’s Chris Davis went 0 for 4 and is hitless in his last 28 at-bats. ... Chen has allowed nine homers this season, seven of them solo shots.