WASHINGTON (AP) — Gunnar Henderson hit his 10th homer and was 4 for 5 with two RBIs to help the Baltimore Orioles avoid a series sweep with a 7-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday.
Henderson into the third deck in right field off opener Richard Lovelady (2-2) for a 1-0 lead two batters into the game. The 24-year-old shortstop hit his ninth double to drive in an insurance run in the ninth, capping his fifth career four-hit game.
Miles Mikolas with his fifth homer — a two-run shot in the second for a 3-0 lead, and Pete Alonso’s sacrifice fly made it 4-1 in the third.
Colton for the first time in 111 plate appearances dating to Sept. 23 against the Rays — a two-run shot in the fourth for a 6-1 advantage. It was the first hit for Cowser off a breaking ball this season.
Anthony Nunez (2-0) relieved Orioles starter Brandon Young with two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth inning. He struck out Luis García Jr. to keep it 6-2, then struck out two more in the fifth to get the win. Young allowed two runs on five hits, walking three in 3 2/3 innings.
Yennier Cano pitched a scoreless eighth before Rico Garcia closed it out in the ninth and surrendered his second hit in 20 innings — a one-out double by García.
Jacob Young hit his career-high fifth homer for the Nationals to cut it to 3-1 in the second. He started the season with five homers in 303 games.
Keibert Ruiz added a sac fly and CJ Abrams singled in a run off Tyler Wells in his two innings of work.
Baltimore had not scored a run before the seventh inning in the first two losses. It was the first time the Orioles scored in four straight innings to begin a game this season.
Up next
Orioles LHP Trevor Rogers (2-4, 5.77) was set to start Monday night at Tampa Bay opposite LHP Shane McClanahan (4-2, 2.27). The Nationals haven’t announced a starting pitcher Monday night at home against the Nerw York Mets and RHP Christian Scott (0-0, 3.45).
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