'A lot to unpack there' after O's beat Nats in wild one

WASHINGTON -- The Orioles blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning, and the Nationals forced extras.

The Orioles blew a two-run lead in the 11th, and the Nationals forced a 12th.

The Orioles started to blow a two-run lead in the 12th ... and then they beat the Nationals, 7-6.

It was a wild Wednesday night in Washington.

“I’m not sure how I’m feeling right now. I’m happy we won. But that was quite a game,” manager Brandon Hyde said shortly after the eventful affair at Nationals Park. “A lot to unpack there.”

Let’s do that -- unpack everything that happened over the final four innings of the latest thrilling win for Baltimore, which successfully extended its regular-season multi-game sweep-less streak to 103 in the process.

The bottom of the ninth
The O’s were one out away from winning this game in tidy fashion, 3-1. Closer Craig Kimbrel retired the first two Nationals batters in the ninth, and the 35-year-old was staring down his 426th career save, which would give him sole possession of fifth place on the AL/NL all-time list.

Then, Eddie Rosario took Kimbrel deep. After consecutive walks by Trey Lipscomb and Jacob Young, Baltimore pulled Kimbrel, who was also lifted from his previous save opportunity Sunday in Cincinnati, where he got rescued by righty Yennier Cano. This time, the Orioles turned to lefty Keegan Akin, and the ninth inning didn’t end as well.

CJ Abrams knocked a game-tying RBI single off Akin, who then rebounded by getting Luis García Jr. to hit into an inning-ending groundout.

For Kimbrel, it was the fourth time in five appearances he was unable to convert a save opportunity. He has allowed six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings (a 23.14 ERA) over that span.

“We’re going to stick with him,” Hyde said. “This guy’s got a big-time track record, he’s a Hall of Famer, and we need to get him right. He’s big for us.”

“I think he’s going to be fine, man,” right-hander Jacob Webb said. “He’s a Hall of Famer in my book. Being around him every day and watching what he does, I think we have all the confidence in the world.”

Confidence proved to also be key for the Orioles as they trudged into extras.

The 10th and 11th
Neither team scored in the 10th. Washington closer Kyle Finnegan worked around a one-out walk and stranded two Baltimore baserunners, then O’s right-hander Albert Suárez followed by retiring the Nats’ side in order.

Things were getting tense.

“Stressful,” said right-hander Kyle Bradish, who earlier had tossed five innings of one-run ball in his second start back from a right UCL sprain. “But it was fun. Free baseball.”

There was plenty more of that to come, too.

The Orioles and Nationals traded pairs of runs in the 11th. After Ryan Mountcastle swatted a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the inning off Hunter Harvey -- his former Baltimore teammate and also his best friend -- Washington responded against Suárez, who yielded a pinch-hit RBI double to Ildemaro Vargas and a game-tying sac fly to Jacob Young.

Suárez stranded a runner on third by getting Abrams to fly out, and on to the 12th they went. Baltimore still believed it’d find a way to win, which is never easy in extras on the road.

“Just trying to focus and having the confidence that even if we don’t get the job done, the next guy is going to come up and get it done for us,” second baseman Jorge Mateo said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “That speaks to the confidence that we have in each other.”

The 12th
Mateo used his bat to give the Orioles another lead, smacking an RBI single off Jordan Weems to open the inning. Then, Mateo used his legs to plate a crucial insurance run, advancing to third on a throwing error and scampering home on a wild pitch.

No lead was safe on this night, though, and the bottom of the frame didn’t start well for Webb, who entered the game and immediately gave up an RBI double to García. Baltimore’s advantage was cut to 7-6, and Washington had the potential tying run on second with no outs.

“You just try to erase that from your memory as quick as possible, try to get the next out,” Webb said.

Webb did that, striking out Nick Senzel. Then, he got Jesse Winker to fly out. And then, he got Joey Meneses to fly out, too. 1-2-3, ballgame finally over.

Last year, the Orioles had a knack for winning thrilling games en route to the American League East title. Of their 101 wins, 48 were in comeback fashion. They won 30 by a one-run margin.

Now, Baltimore -- sitting at an AL-best 24-12 with 10 comeback wins and four one-run victories -- is back at it again.

“We scored, and then they scored and they kept fighting,” Mateo said. “It was a really hard-fought game.”

“I’m definitely relieved we won the game,” Hyde said.