BALTIMORE (AP) — A three-run lead in the third inning usually isn’t enough to assure a victory, except perhaps when Gio Gonzalez is dealing strikes and the team facing the deficit is the 2018 Baltimore Orioles.
And so, when Anthony Rendon’s drive to left field with two runners aboard cleared the wall, the Washington Nationals had all the offense they needed Monday in what turned out to be a 6-0 victory.
Gonzalez (6-2) allowed six hits over 7 2/3 innings to end a six-game losing streak against Baltimore. The left-hander won his first start against the Orioles in 2009 before coming up empty in his next nine outings.