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Matt Wieters' walk-off hit lifts Washington Nationals over Baltimore Orioles

By David Driver, The Sports Xchange
Washington Nationals' Matt Wieters (32) is congratulated by teammate Trea Turner. File photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Washington Nationals' Matt Wieters (32) is congratulated by teammate Trea Turner. File photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON -- Matt Wieters hit a two-run single in the last of the ninth with one out off former teammate Brad Brach as the Washington Nationals came back to beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-6 on Wednesday.

The winner was Matt Albers (2-0), who pitched a perfect ninth with three strikeouts, while Brach (0-1) took the loss. The win snapped a three-game slide and stopped the Orioles winning streak at six.

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Baltimore's Mark Trumbo (two hits) slammed his fourth homer in the fifth and Manny Machado hit his ninth -- a solo shot in the seventh off Blake Treinen -- to give the Orioles a lead of 6-2.

But Washington's Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run shot in the eighth off Alec Asher to pull the Nationals to within 6-4. It was the first homer of the year for Taylor, who had two hits.

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Jayson Werth led off the ninth with a solo homer to make it 6-5 and the Nationals rallied for the win as Wieters lined a single past first base with the bases loaded.

Baltimore starter Wade Miley went five innings and gave up five hits and two runs with four walks and five strikeouts. Stephen Strasburg, the Washington starter, yielded five runs and eight hits while striking out nine in six innings.

Wieters added three hits for the Nationals.

The game featured two starting pitchers who were forced to leave early in their last outing.

Miley left his previous game Friday after just 12 pitches after he was hit twice by balls hit up the middle by the Chicago White Sox. Strasburg departed in the sixth inning Friday in Philadelphia after experiencing leg cramps. He threw a season-high 119 pitches but failed to go seven innings for the first time this year.

Baltimore scored three in the second Wednesday to take a 3-0 lead. Caleb Joseph had an RBI single, Seth Smith drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Adam Jones made it 3-0 with a run-scoring single off Strasburg.

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Taylor, batting in the No. 8 hole, lined a RBI single with two outs in the fourth to make it 3-1.

But Trumbo hit the first pitch he saw from Strasburg -- a slider at 90 miles per hour -- for a two-run homer with two outs for a 5-1 lead in the fifth.

The Nationals trimmed the lead to 5-2 in the fifth as Daniel Murphy drove in a run with a fielder's choice.

NOTES: CF Adam Eaton, in his first year with the Nationals, began a rehabilitation program Wednesday that should last about six to nine months, general manager Mike Rizzo said before the Nationals faced the Baltimore Orioles. Eaton underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a torn left anterior cruciate ligament that he suffered April 28. ... The Orioles sent RHP Logan Verrett to Triple-A Norfolk and recalled LHP Vidal Nuno from the Tides ... Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he hopes to have C Wellington Castillo (right shoulder tendinitis) playing this weekend for Double-A Bowie and hopefully be ready to come off the disabled list Tuesday. He has been on the DL since May 1 ... Washington RHP Koda Glover (hip), who has been on the disabled list since April 26, pitched one scoreless inning Wednesday for Double-A Harrisburg in a 5-3 loss to Erie. He allowed one hit with one strikeout and threw 19 pitches (13 strikes).

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