It's the Battle of the Beltway Bullpens (O's win 8-2)

WASHINGTON - The Orioles and Nationals starters each went seven innings tonight, a two-run home run smudging their respective lines. Chris Tillman was lifted for a pinch-hitter, Delmon Young, after Jonathan Schoop led off the top of the eighth with a single off Nats reliever Tyler Clippard. Kevin Frandsen had pinch-hit for Stephen Strasburg with two outs in the bottom of the seventh after Wilson Ramos' single. Tilllman registered his fifth quality start in his last six outings, giving up two runs and five hits in seven innings. He walked one, struck out six and served up Anthony Rendon's game-tying two-run homer in the sixth. Manager Buck Showalter may have stayed with Tillman in an American League ballpark, since the right-hander's pitch count was at 103. But he took a shot against Clippard by calling upon Young, who led the majors with a .538 (7-for-13) average as a pinch-hitter. Young struck out, but Nick Markakis followed with a single to put runners on first and second with one down. Manny Machado, with three hits tonight, grounded into a force at third and Adam Jones flied to left. Nats third baseman Ryan Zimmerman fielded Machado's grounder, stepped on the bag and threw wide of first to keep the inning alive. Strasburg allowed two runs - on Nelson Cruz's homer - and four hits in seven innings, with no walks and nine strikeouts. He threw 104 pitches, 68 strikes. Darren O'Day has replaced Tillman in the bottom of the eighth. It's up to the bullpens now, and perhaps the next round of pinch-hitters. Update: The Orioles played 30 innings in the last two days and now... free baseball! O'Day struck out Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos to strand two runners in the ninth. He's thrown 34 pitches, the most in 176 career appearances with the Orioles. The Orioles are 7-3 in extras, the Nats 2-7. Drew Storen is working the top of the 10th. Update II: Chris Davis, in a 2-for-38 funk, hit a two-run homer off Craig Stammen in the top of the 11th to break a 2-2 tie, and J.J. Hardy followed with a solo shot. Davis has 14 homers this season. Hardy hit his third. They were a combined 0-for-8 with four strikeouts tonight. Cruz led off with a single, his third hit of the night. Davis ran the count full and homered to center field. The Orioles put two runners on with two outs in the 10th on singles by Markakis and Machado, but Jones popped up the first pitch. Machado's four hits tie his career-high. He's done it three times. Markakis has two hits and needs 94 to tie Boog Powell for fifth place on the club's all-time list. I'm still counting. Update III: Markakis doubled in the 11th to bring in another run, Machado followed with a two-run homer off reliever Aaron Barrett, and the Orioles now lead 8-2. Machado has a career-high five hits and his average is up to .261. McFarland was allowed to bat in the 11th and will return to the mound with a chance at his second win. He's pitched in Game 1 on Saturday, yesterday and again tonight. A win would make the Orioles 49-40 and put them nine games above .500 for the first time since Sept. 20, 2013. They've now played 41 innings in the last three days. Update IV: It's finally over. The Orioles defeat the Nationals 8-2 before 35,126 in D.C. Lots of orange jerseys tonight. They pretty much took over the ballpark in the 11th.



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