BALTIMORE (AP) -- Bryce Harper and Danny Espinosa homered in a four-run sixth inning, and the Washington Nationals beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-4 on Saturday night to end a three-game skid.
Jordan Zimmermann (8-5) won his third straight start despite allowing four runs and nine hits in five innings. He was pitching one day after his wife gave birth to the couple's second child.
Caleb Joseph and Steve Pearce homered for the Orioles, who have lost nine of 12.
Miguel Gonzalez (7-6) retired 10 straight batters and took a 4-2 lead into the sixth before everything rapidly unraveled.
 
Harper, Espinosa HRs carry Nationals over Orioles 7-4
 
Harper led off with his 26th home run, Clint Robinson and Wilson Ramos singled and Espinosa sent an 0-1 pitch over the 25-foot scoreboard in right field.
Harper's home run was his first against the Orioles in 12 career games. He's 8 for 44 (.182) with three RBIs against Baltimore.
Espinosa's 10th home run - second-most on the team - proved to be the difference-maker for the first-place Nationals, whose modest losing streak followed a stretch in which they won 12 of 15.
Michael Taylor of the Nationals added an RBI single in the ninth.
Drew Storen, the fourth Washington reliever, got three outs for his 26th save.
The interleague matchup between neighboring rivals drew 44,495 fans, the second straight sellout at Camden Yards. The deciding game of the series will be played Sunday, before both teams head into the All-Star break.
Washington's first inning ended when Yunel Escobar was thrown out trying to score on a double by Robinson. Jimmy Paredes hit a run-scoring grounder in the bottom half.
After the Nationals used a run-scoring grounder and an RBI single by Taylor to go up 2-1 in the second, Joseph answered with a two-run drive in the Baltimore half.
Pearce made it 4-2 in the fourth with his seventh home run, the first since May 27.
Before this outing, Zimmermann allowed only one run over 22 2-3 innings.
HELLO, FAREWELL
Washington activated Zimmermann from the paternity list and optioned LHP Sammy Solis to Double-A Harrisburg.
 

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