Nationals at Orioles
The Washington Nationals can afford to let Bryce Harper take as long as he needs to figure out his swing as long as the pitching staff keeps thriving and Anthony Rendon stays hot. The Nationals will try to ride Rendon and the arms to a series win when they visit the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday for the second of a three-game interleague series between the Beltway rivals.
Washington took the series opener 6-0 on Monday behind a three-run homer from Rendon and 7 2/3 scoreless innings from Gio Gonzalez, marking the sixth time in the last seven games that the Nationals staff held an opponent to three or fewer runs. Harper went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the win and owns 12 strikeouts in the last five games, but Rendon homered in back-to-back contests and cleanup hitter Matt Adams is up to nine home runs in May. The Orioles don't have that kind of thump in the lineup at the moment and scored three or fewer runs in 11 of their last 13 games while dropping into the American League East basement at 17-37. Baltimore will take its cuts against Nationals right-hander Jeremy Hellickson on Tuesday while the Orioles counter with righty Dylan Bundy.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, MASN 2 (Washington), MASN (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 2.13 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Dylan Bundy (3-6, 4.45)
Hellickson, who made 10 starts for Baltimore in the last half of 2017 before signing with Washington in the offseason, surrendered one or no runs in each of his last four turns. The veteran only completed six innings in one of those turns, which marked his lone win in the span. Hellickson began his career with the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and is 4-4 with a 5.80 ERA in 14 career games at Camden Yards.
Bundy is coming off a dominant outing at Chicago on Thursday, when he struck out 14 while allowing three runs and two hits in a complete-game win. The 25-year-old suffered through a rough stretch bridging April and May but earned the win in two of his last three outings. Bundy won his lone previous career start against Washington, scattering two runs over six innings on Aug. 22, 2016, though he did surrender a home run to Rendon.
WALK-OFFS
1. Nationals 2B Daniel Murphy (knee) homered and drove in six runs in a rehab game with Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday.
2. Baltimore DH Mark Trumbo (knee) returned from a five-game absence on Monday and went 0-for-2 with a walk.
3. Washington SS Trea Turner hit safely in each of his last nine games.