After 22 straight scoreless innings, things looked bleak for the Nationals. With their highly-anticipated Battle of the Beltway on tap, the Nats had to beat the Cubs and Kerry Wood making his first start of the season. Well, a little bit of lineup shake up did the trick as four players, including Damian Jackson and Marlon Anderson, homered in a 5-3 victory over the Cubs. Firmly in fourth place, the Nats can now look ahead to their three-game showdown against their natural regional rivals, the Orioles.

For the first time since the then-AL Washington Senators played the Baltimore Orioles in 1971, teams from the neighboring cities will square off against each other. While the geography of the match-up adds some excitement, it’s tough to get too worked up over the Beltway Series. As the players note, regional rivalries do not develop overnight. Plus, the two teams are a combined 16 games under .500, and both sit in fourth place in their respective divisions.

The weekend pitching battles aren’t particularly compelling. Tonight, Kris Benson faces Michael O’Connor at 7:05 p.m. Rodrigo Lopez and Tony Armas duel tomorrow night while Bruce Chen and Livan Hernandez square off on Sunday afternoon. Tickets to all three games are still available despite the efforts by both teams to label this a Battle of the Beltway.

But even with tempered expectations, let’s get one thing straight. When the Nationals and Orioles arise for the National Anthem, Washington fans, remember that this is D.C. It is not Baltimore. We should hear none of that “O’s Say” chanting that Orioles fans like to insert into the last lines of the Star Spangled Banner. And if you see any lost Orioles fans trying to ask for directions, make sure they too are arrested by friendly police officers.

Picture taken by walkingparty.