Jones Has 3 Hits In Orioles' Win Over Nationals
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Adam Jones and Nick Markakis hit two-run homers and the Baltimore Orioles matched a season high with their fifth straight win, 6-5 over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.
Jones had three hits as the AL East leaders improved to 15-5 on the road. Washington lost its third in a row.
Jason Hammel (5-1) pitched 5 1/3 innings for the win, allowing four runs and six hits. Baltimore relievers Luis Ayala, Troy Patton and Pedro Strop combined for 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
Orioles closer Jim Johnson allowed a two-out home run in the ninth to Ryan Zimmerman, who had three hits. But Johnson but struck out Adam LaRoche for his 15th save in as many chances this year, and his 23rd straight.
The Orioles scored two runs in the second off Ross Detwiler (3-3). Wilson Betemit led off with a single, Xavier Avery drew a one-out walk, Hammel sacrificed and both runners scored on Robert Andino's single.
Jones hit his 14th home run of the year in the third, a shot that landed just over the Orioles' bullpen in left field. The Orioles are 13-1 when Jones homers.
Markakis, who hit a go-ahead homer in the 11th inning on Friday, had a two-run shot in the fifth. His eighth home run of the season extended the lead to 6-0.
Washington scored a run in the fifth on three straight two-out singles, and drove Hammel out of the game in the sixth when Rick Ankiel hit an RBI double.
After Hammel left the game, the Nationals' third run scored on an infield out and the fourth on Roger Bernadina's RBI single.
Detwiler gave up six runs and nine hits in five innings, the first time a Nationals starter gave up six runs since Sept. 10, 2011.
NOTES: Nationals manager Davey Johnson said that when RHP Chien-Ming Wang finishes his rehab assignment, he'll likely pitch him in the bullpen. Wang, who's on the disabled list with a pulled hamstring, was projected as a starter, but the emergence of Detwiler makes his addition to the starting rotation sticky. "I don't look at him as a reliever. I look at him as a quality, major league starter," Johnson said. Miguel Tejada, who signed a minor league contract with Baltimore earlier this month, will report to Triple-A Norfolk. Tejada, who had two prior stints with the Orioles, was in extended spring training in Sarasota, Fla. Jones extended his hitting streak to 11 games. The Orioles will send Wei-Yin Chen (4-0) against the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg (3-1) on Sunday.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
