Daylen Lile just can't stop swinging a hot bat. The Washington Nationals outfielder launched his fourth home run in as many games on Friday night, leading his team to a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in front of a sellout crowd of 38,912 at Nationals Park.
Lile was a triple shy of the cycle, collecting three hits and driving in a run. His recent tear has been nothing short of spectacular—after going deep twice in Cincinnati on Tuesday and once more on Wednesday, he's now batting .378 (14-for-37) over his last 10 games, with four doubles, four homers, 10 RBIs, and eight runs scored. The 23-year-old is quickly becoming a fan favorite in D.C.
While Lile provided the fireworks, it was Zack Littell who set the tone on the mound. The right-hander delivered his best outing of the season, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and two walks with three strikeouts. The performance trimmed his ERA from 6.94 to 6.10, a much-needed boost for a pitcher who has struggled to find consistency.
The Nationals struck first in the fourth inning when CJ Abrams singled, moved to third on Lile's base hit, and scored on Brady House's sacrifice fly to short right field. Lile then added insurance in the sixth, launching a solo homer after Curtis Mead led off with a walk, extending the lead to 3-0.
Baltimore made things interesting in the ninth. Andrew Alvarez, recalled from Triple-A Rochester earlier in the day, worked into the inning before giving way to Gus Varland with runners on first and second and no outs. After a walk to Leody Taveras loaded the bases, Colby Mayo struck out, but Jeremiah Jackson's sacrifice fly brought the Orioles within 3-1, snapping Baltimore's bid for their first shutout of the season.
Gunnar Henderson greeted reliever Richard Lovelady with an RBI single, cutting the deficit to one and moving the tying run to third. Taylor Ward walked to load the bases again, but Lovelady bore down and struck out Adley Rutschman to secure his second save of the year.
Orioles starter Shane Baz (1-5) took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits over six innings. Baltimore also received tough news before the game, announcing that infielder Jordan Westburg will miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
The Beltway Series continues on Saturday, with the Orioles sending right-hander Chris Bassitt (3-2, 5.21 ERA) to the mound against Nationals righty Cade Cavalli (1-2, 4.02 ERA).