While watching two fourth-place teams duke it out over a weekend is rarely exciting, the Nats and the Orioles made a good show of it in the first Battle of the Beltways. In the end, the Nationals got the upper hand by taking two of three from the now tied-for-last-place Orioles. The weekend started like many others this season for the Nationals: with a loss. Alfonso Soriano provided the only offense for Washington with…

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…