Orioles eager to improve defense ahead of opener vs. Nationals

The Baltimore Orioles are back home to finish June and still are trying to establish a strong stretch.

The Orioles, who haven't won more than three games in a row this season and are six games below .500, will take on the Washington Nationals on Friday night to begin a three-game series.

The Orioles were off Thursday following a 4-5 road trip that involved three stops. They lost their last two games, including a 7-6 decision in 10 innings to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.

Baltimore has had too many mishaps in the field.

"Defense in general, it's a constant (emphasis)," Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said.

Baltimore's Samuel Basallo homered twice Wednesday, but the focus for the team is stringing together better results.

"Be focused on trying to get better, trying to clean up the things that we can do better," Basallo said. "I think we all understand and we know there's a lot of areas that we can continue to improve upon and get better on."

The Nationals, meanwhile, concluded a short 1-3 homestand with Thursday's 10-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, who scored the game's final 10 runs across the last four innings.

Washington has lost three games in a row, giving up the go-ahead run in the ninth inning in each contest.

Clearly, the Nationals are seeking answers at the back end of the bullpen.

"We're going to continue to give these guys opportunities," Washington manager Blake Butera said. "We're going to keep trying to find that guy."

The Nationals won two of three games against the Orioles in mid-May in Washington.

Albernaz said the Orioles had a fresh bullpen Wednesday for the series finale in Anaheim, so they should be well-armed for the Washington series after a day without a game.

Still, there's sorting out to do. Reliever Rico Garcia allowed a season-high three runs to the Angels on Wednesday. He hasn't been as sharp recently as earlier in the season.

"It's falling behind," Albernaz said. "He's usually just pounding the strike zone and throwing strikes, and right now he's just not as efficient as he has been. And it's tough, because he has been borderline lights out for us pretty much all year."

Left-hander Trevor Rogers (4-7, 5.30 ERA) draws the start for the Orioles on Friday. After a rough May, he has been solid in four starts this month with a 2.22 ERA across 24 1/3 innings. He blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers for seven innings Saturday to pick up only his second victory, 3-2, since April 1.

This will be Rogers' 12th start against the Nationals -- matching the most for him against an opponent. Except for one outing in August 2024 following a trade, his encounters with the Nationals came while he pitched for the Miami Marlins. He's 3-5 with a 3.88 ERA in his career vs. Washington.

Left-hander Andrew Alvarez (1-0, 3.34 ERA) is listed as Washington's starting pitcher for Friday. It will be his 10th appearance and fifth start of the season.

Alvarez has worked at least four innings in four previous starts this month, posting a 2.70 ERA for 16 2/3 innings for June. He gave up two runs in three innings May 15 against the Orioles, marking his only career matchup against them.

Nationals infielder Curtis Mead has homered in three of his last four games.

--Field Level Media