For the first time since the 2013 season, the Orioles come into their first matchup with the Nationals of the year having a better record than their neighbors in DC. In the lineup nine years ago for the Os were the likes of Markakis, Machado, Hardy, Jones, Davis and Wieters. The recently retired Ryan Zimmerman was batting third for the Nationals and second-year outfielder Bryce Harper missed the series due to a knee injury. All of that to say: a lot has changed between now and then.
The “Battle of the Beltways” has never seemed like a rivalry in the same way one thinks of Yankees-Mets, Cubs-White Sox or even Dodgers-Angels.