Keibert Ruiz went 0 for 4 in the first game of the Nationals’ two-game set with the Orioles, but his final at-bat was a seven-pitch battle with Fèlix Bautista, the O’s’ closer, which Ruiz’s manager Davey Martinez pointed to after the catcher’s 3 for 4 game in the second matchup with their regional rivals as a breakthrough of sorts.
“Keibert had a good day today, but he was covering all the pitches,” Martinez told reporters, after a 4-0 loss in which Washington struggled at the plate again, after they were shut out in the opener with Baltimore as well.