The Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles kick off another installment of their Battle of the Beltway this weekend with a 3-game series beginning tonight in Camden Yards.

The Orioles are 21-19 and have won 5 of their last 6 games, including a sweep of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox. The Nationals are 18-24 and struggling to get decent production from their hitters. However, the Nats did sweep a 3-game series from the Orioles at Camden Yards last year. Tonight, the Orioles will send Garrett Olson [2-0, 2.95] to the mound. Olson pitched very well in his last outing, a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals. Olson has made 3 starts this season, but has never faced a National League team.
Shawn Hill [0-0, 3.56] takes the mound for the Nats. Hill pitched well in his last start against the Marlins, but the game was lost when the bullpen failed, as it has so frequently this season. Hill [1-2, 6.65 lifetime in interleague games] has never faced Baltimore before.
Expect to see Dmitri Young in this series, as Washington will activate him today to replace injured first baseman Nick Johnson. Young pounded the Orioles last season, batting .429 with a homer and 2 RBI in 6 games against Baltimore in 2007.
Let’s go to the numbers…