Sixteen months after his arrival marked a turning point for the Baltimore Orioles, Adley Rutschman and his team are one victory from a division title.
Rutschman homered and drove in three runs, Grayson Rodriguez pitched into the sixth inning and the Orioles lowered their magic number to one in the AL East with a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.
The Orioles would have clinched the division with a victory and a loss by second-place Tampa Bay, but the Rays won 5-0 in Boston. Baltimore will try for its first AL East crown since 2014 on Thursday night when the Red Sox arrive for a four-game series at Camden Yards.