BALTIMORE — The ball off Adley Rutschman’s bat rattled its way into the right-field corner, allowing the catcher to cruise into second base with a double. That was as close as the Orioles would get to crossing home plate Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals.
The 24-year-old became the first Baltimore hitter to reach scoring position, and it took until the seventh inning to do so. He would be the last, too. The Orioles managed just three hits to accompany Rutschman’s seventh double of the season, a flat effort against another losing ballclub that halts the momentum from a series win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Right-hander Erick Fedde got away with several mistake pitches en route to his 3-0 win, weaving his way past the 26 pitches fouled off him to post six scoreless innings. Baltimore (30-39), meanwhile, failed to back up right-hander Jordan Lyles in his best start in a month.
