Presented with identical opportunities to ring up a big inning Brian Urlacher Bears Jersey , the Washington Nationals took full advantage and Baltimore Orioles squandered the chance.

That goes a long way toward explaining why the Nationals are a contender and the Orioles own the worst record in the big leagues.

Trea Turner went 4 for 4 with a homer , Anthony Rendon drove in three runs and Washington extended its recent domination of the Orioles with a 9-7 victory Tuesday night.

The game was essentially decided in the fifth inning, which began with Baltimore leading 4-1.

In the top half, the Orioles loaded the bases with no outs and scored only one run – when Manny Machado hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

Washington loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half and batted around, scoring four runs on four hits and a pair of walks. Adam Eaton contributed a two-run single, Rendon hit a sacrifice fly and Bryce Harper chased starter David Hess with an RBI double.

”They did a lot better job cashing in their bases loaded, nobody out situation than we did,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter conceded.

For the game, Baltimore was 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. The Nationals were 5 for 10.

”This team is starting to become relentless,” manager Dave Martinez said. ”They kept pounding and pounding and pounding, had a couple of big innings there and scored some runs.”

The Nationals trailed 6-5 before getting six hits in a four-run seventh. Rendon delivered a two-run double off Tanner Scott (0-1) that made it 7-6, and Turner capped his four-hit night with a double.

Both teams noted that more than a couple of Washington’s hits were bloopers and seeing-eye grounders, but the Nationals certainly weren’t about to apologize.

”I feel like all year we’ve been hitting balls right at people,” Turner said, ”so it’s nice to get a bunch of those in one game and come out with a win.”

Washington has won six straight over its neighboring interleague rival, including four games this season by a combined 20-8.

Pitching in his second big league game Tremaine Edmunds Jersey Youth , Nationals starter Jefry Rodriguez gave up five runs, four hits and four walks in five innings.

Justin Miller (5-0) pitched two innings of relief, newcomer Kelvin Herrera worked a perfect eighth and Sean Doolittle gave up a solo home run to Joey Rickard while earning his 19th save.

Jace Peterson and Trey Mancini each hit two-run homers for the Orioles, who have lost 16 of 19.

This one can be blamed on an all-too-telling fifth inning.

”It’s just one of those things where if they got hits they seemed to have found holes,” Showalter said. ”They hit some balls hard, too.”

STAY CLASSY

It’s been a tough year for Harper, whose batting average dipped to .212 following a 1-for-24 stretch though Monday.

”He’s handled it with class and dignity,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. ”He’s more worried about the wins than the hits, and that’s an important aspect that he has learned throughout his career. You know he’s become a team leader for us. When you’re going your worst, you have to be at your best and I think that’s what Harp’s showed so far this season.”

MANY MOVES

Nationals: Placed 1B Matt Adams on the 10-day disabled list (retroactive to June 16) with a fractured left index finger. Additionally, Washington optioned RHP Wander Suero (1-0, 3.63 ERA) to Triple-A Syracuse, recalled Rodriguez from Double-A Harrisburg and added reliever Kelvin Herrera, obtained in a trade with Kansas City on Monday.

Orioles: DH Pedro Alvarez was designated for assignment in the wake of a 1-for-18 skid that dropped his batting average to .181. Baltimore also selected the contract of INF Steve Wilkerson from Triple-A Norfolk and recalled C Caleb Joseph, who now has his brother, Corban Joe Montana Jersey Youth , as a teammate.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: RHP Jeremy Hellickson (hamstring) threw a simulated game in the bullpen, throwing 50 pitches without facing batters.

Orioles: RHP Andrew Cashner (back) is expected to come off the DL on Wednesday; OF Colby Rasmus (hip) could be activated Thursday and 3B Tim Beckham (core surgery) was slated to play nine innings for Norfolk on Tuesday. If all goes well, he could come off the DL this weekend.

UP NEXT

Nationals: Gio Gonzalez (6-3, 3.01 ERA) starts the second game of the series Wednesday night. The lefty threw 6 2/3 innings in a 6-0 win over Baltimore on May 28.

Orioles: Cashner (2-8, 4.98) returns from a stint on the DL in which he missed just one start.

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Stephen Curry on the sidelines again, this time with a hurt knee. No longer the sure-thing No. 1 seed. Steve Kerr piecing together rotations based on who’s available through illness and injury.

It hasn’t exactly been an easy course this season for the defending NBA champions.

The Golden State Warriors are used to being the best out West, a top target that everyone in the NBA seeks to unseat.

It’s just a little different this time.

Not that Kerr is overly concerned. Golden State’s coach thinks the Warriors will be just fine when they open their best-of-seven series against No. 7 seed San Antonio at home Saturday afternoon.

”We’re going to have new life when the playoffs start. And I’m well aware of what a long, difficult season it’s been,” he said. ”So many things have been thrown at us here the last month, especially all the injuries, which have really shaken up our rotation. That’s made it difficult on everybody and our players. But they’re fighting and that’s the main thing.

”We’re going to be all right.”

During one especially tough stretch, all four All-Stars were out because of health – Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Golden State dropped seven of 10 at one point last month, then lost its final regular-season game by a jaw-dropping 40 points Tuesday night at Utah.

Yet, now Dan Bailey Jersey Elite , everybody is relishing a new season.

”It’s not a carbon copy of last year by any stretch,” Curry said. ”But I know for sure we have the guys and the IQ and the resiliency to understand how we’re going to accomplish our goal this year and not compare it to last year. Because I’m sure you can ask any championship team along the way that’s trying to repeat or whatever the case is, every journey is defined by different circumstances.

”Injuries, the fact that we have been in the 2 spot for about two weeks now with really no chance to climb or fall, so you have to fight human nature in that sense. I think all that we’ve invested in our game, in our team and in our identity over the course of the last three, four years will show up when the time is right.”

Two years ago, Golden State put its focus on going for a record 73 victories and lost to LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the Finals. Then late last season, the Warriors were gearing up for that inevitable Finals rematch with rival Cleveland while Durant worked back from a knee injury before capturing his first title and becoming Finals MVP.

For Kerr, the goals lately were simple: find some rhythm and return everybody to health. He used 27 different starting lineups – yes, a huge number – in a big jump from his first three seasons coaching Golden State. Last season there were 14 different starting five combinations for the Warriors on the way to a second title in three years, 12 the year before that and just eight during 2014-15 as the franchise won its first championship in 40 years.

And this time around, the Warriors didn’t even know their opponent until Wednesday night, meaning Golden State’s video crew worked overtime preparing for all the possible opponents.

”Basically we spend most of our time trying to predict what’s going to happen, and we’re all wrong,” Kerr quipped last week. ”And the next day we reshuffle the deck and we guess again.”

Golden State will still look a lot different when the ball goes up at Oracle Arena without Curry.

The two-time MVP is expected to miss the entire first round after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee March 23 on the very night he returned from a six-game absence with his latest ankle injury. It was bad luck Davante Adams Jersey Elite , too, as center JaVale McGee fell into him.

Curry’s absence as a floor leader and heart of the team hurts.

”They’ve been pretty fortunate here in that the injuries hadn’t been the long ones where guys are out 10-15 games. It’s been three or four games or maybe a five-game stretch,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. ”It’s something different, but I really do feel like everyone would love to struggle and be 57-22 if you can consider that struggling.”

Golden State finished 58-24, dropping 12 home games – something unheard of the previous three years when they were barely blemished with only nine losses total at one of the NBA’s most imposing stops.

The Warriors want to re-establish that energy and swagger at home. Immediately.

Kerr didn’t worry about the record. He was too busy mixing and matching just to get through games over the past month.

”It’s been a long haul, for sure. I was hoping that we would be heading into the playoffs healthy, obviously everyone wants that,” he said. ”But this is all part of it, it’s all part of the journey. This is our journey this year. Every year’s different, so it’s been a bumpy road but here we are. I’m really proud of our guys.”

And the rest of the league still realizes what it’s up against.

”You can’t count these guys out, and I don’t think anybody is counting them out,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. ”They’ll get their guys back and they have enough guys I think they can survive until they get everybody back.”

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