WASHINGTON -- An attempted comeback forced Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton into a game that shouldnt have required him. Not long after, his perfect run ended.Brittons remarkable streak of 43 consecutive games without allowing an earned run ended before he shut down a ninth-inning rally to help the Orioles hold off the Washington Nationals for a 10-8 victory Wednesday night.Daniel Murphys grand slam off Parker Bridwell cut the Orioles lead from seven runs to three, and Britton allowed a single to Bryce Harper and an RBI double to Anthony Rendon.It was the first earned run Britton has given up since April 30. His string of 43 games without one is the longest since the earned run became official, according to ESPN Stats and Info -- that dates back more than 100 years.But Britton got Ryan Zimmerman to ground into a game-ending double play as Baltimore won its third in a row against Washington.Theyre a great team over there, and theyre not just going to give up, said Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, who went 4 for 6 with four RBI. We can never take it for granted. Theyre a great team over there, so you have to play till the last outs made.Baltimore built a lead on the strength of Machados two-run home, his 29th of the season, in the first and Matt Wieters three-run drive in the eighth.Starter Wade Miley (8-10) did the job, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out five in five-plus innings with what manager Buck Showalter felt was a crisper fastball than usual.Miley picked up his first win since a trade from the Seattle Mariners.It feels good, no doubt, the left-hander said. Obviously it wasnt as sharp as I wanted to be, but its something to build on and Ive got five days to do it again.After losing six of their previous eight games, the Orioles are feeling good given their success against the Nationals. Coupled with losses by the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, the Orioles are one game back of those teams for first place in the AL East.We have it there at arms length, said Machado, who also had a pair of RBI singles. Were in a good spot. I know we like the guys that we have on our team right now, and were just going to have to keep fighting as one.The Nationals have lost six of nine but still lead the Miami Marlins by seven games in the NL East. They got a rough start out of Tanner Roark (13-7), who allowed five runs, four earned, in five innings and hit three of the first 14 batters he faced.Couldnt locate. Its as simple as that, Roark said. Not my best outing but what I love is that we came back and came pretty darn close to tying it up and possibly winning it.TRAINERS ROOMOrioles: OF Joey Rickard is set to see the doctor Sept. 2 to determine how his right thumb ligament injury is progressing. Manager Buck Showalter hopes Rickard will be back before the end of the season. ... LHP Brian Duensing (left elbow inflammation) threw seven pitches in an inning in the Gulf Coast League, Showalter said.Nationals: INF Stephen Drew saw an inner ear specialist to get a shot in his ear, according to team broadcaster MASN. He has been out since late July with vertigo.HARPER HOLDS MEDALSHarper became Katie Ledeckys medal holder while the swimmer threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Ledecky, who won one silver and four gold medals at the Rio Olympics, handed them to Harper before throwing to reliever Shawn Kelley.TURN, TURN, TURNWith his single in the seventh, Trea Turner tied the Montreal Expos/Nationals franchise record with hits in eight consecutive plate appearances. Andre Dawson and Dmitri Young remained in the record books when Turner struck out in the ninth to finish his day 4 for 5.UP NEXTWith Chris Tillman on the disabled list, the Orioles turn to RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (5-10, 6.94 ERA) to make his first start since July 28. Hell face Nationals RHP Max Scherzer (13-7, 3.05). Custom Baltimore Ravens Jerseys . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Cheap Custom Football Jerseys . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. http://www.footballcustomjerseys.com/custom-oakland-raiders-jerseys-428c.html . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. Custom Pittsburgh Steelers Jerseys . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Custom Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. TORONTO -- As the puck gently trickled over Finlands goal line for an empty-net tally with 2.6 seconds remaining in regulation, Team Sweden goaltender Henrik Lundqvist raised his arms in celebration and gave a fist pump like no one was watching him.Truth be told: All eyes are on the 34-year-old netminder.This game, this 2-0 win symbolized more than just a World Cup of Hockey victory. So many questions have surrounded Lundqvist since the end of the 2015-16 NHL regular season. Many wondered if hes nearing the end of an incredible career. The offseason was unlike any he had experienced in the past. He spent it preparing for this best-on-best tournament in the hope that he could rejuvenate his career for the New York Rangers.Well, Lundqvist proved on Tuesday that he should still be considered a world-class goalie. He was outstanding in a 36-save, shutout performance over Finland.Obviously, it was an important game for me, Lundqvist said. You try to build your game, but at the same time, you have to make sure youre helping your team. Its an important game. You cant just go out there and try to feel good and start building your game. Its too late for that. I had two [preseason] games to do that, and now its for real. You just try to be really focused and do your best out there.During the last World Cup preseason game against Team Europe in Washington, D.C., Lundqvist struggled, allowing five goals on 22 shots before he was pulled midway through the third period. Even though it appeared to be a terrible performance, Lundqvist maintained afterward that he was able to accomplish a lot in that game to prepare for the tournament. It didnt help when he did not play the first official game against Russia on Sunday because he had the flu. Instead, backup Jacob Markstrom played and led Sweden to a 2-1 victory with a 27-save performance.Lundqvist participated in the teams full practice on Monday and said afterward that he would be ready for Finland. There was no way he would miss what could be his last chance to face Swedens rival in international competition. On Tuesday, he flashed the pads and dazzled with his glove en route to a victory over the Finns -- and Sweden improved to 2-0 in this tournament.He was just awesome out there,?Loui Eriksson?said. Made some really good saves for us. He looked like the Hank weve seen before. Great game. Important for us.Like his teammates, Lundqvist takes a lot of pride in playing for the national team. He has won Olympic gold (2006) and silver (2014) and hopes to lead his country to another international victory in this tournament.Thats why hes one of the top goalies in the world, said Sweden coach Rikard Gronborg. He played an excellent game and gave us a chance to win. We knew coming into the tournament hes a top goalie, a piece of the puzzle for us to advance. If we are going to advance in the tournament, he has to be on. He gives a certain kind of stability. As coaches we know we can count on him.Before the tournament, Finnish prospect Patrik Laine, who is considered a pure goal scorer with a laser-like shot, said it didnt matter which ggoalie was in the net because all he wants to do is score goals.dddddddddddd He fired five shots at Lundqvist on Tuesday, but the veteran netminder stopped them all.We had many good scoring chances, but he was playing awesome in the net, so we couldnt score, Laine said. When you dont score any goals its hard to win a game. We were playing pretty well, but the right team won.Laines best scoring chance of the game came with 40.2 seconds remaining in the second period. Finland was on the power play when Laine unleased a one-timer from the top of the left faceoff circle. It was a precise shot to the top right corner, but Lundqvist snared it with a highlight-reel glove save.The puck was bouncing, so it was good I got a shot off from that pass, but I think I had a pretty good shot. Hes a good goalie and he got it and thats the deal, Laine said.Since Lundqvist is likely still not 100 percent, the question will be: Should he play on Wednesday against Team North America? Its not a throw-away game for Sweden. If it was, especially given the way Markstrom played on Sunday, then Lundqvist could be given the day off, but thats not the case now. Lundqvist needs to play. Itll be interesting to see how he responds to playing two games in less than 24 hours.Lundqvist said after Tuesdays game that he felt better both physically and mentally, and that he had more energy before the game than hed had the last few days because of the flu. Lundqvist admitted he felt a bit rusty in the first period against Finland but was able to settle in as the game progressed -- so yes, hell be ready to play against the high-powered young guns on Wednesday. Will he get to?I hope so. I havent talked to the coach yet, but I want to go, he said. Its an important game. Were not in [the semifinals] yet. But he makes the call.Plus, hell likely face a ton of shots given Team North Americas high-paced play so far.Were playing a team with a lot of skill, and they move the puck more side-to-side than maybe the Finns do, Lundqvist said. The Finns go pretty straight to the net and try to create rebounds and chances like that, so its going to be a great challenge for me and for the team tomorrow.No matter how this tournament ends for Sweden, if Lundqvist can continue to play like he did against Finland and build his game in preparation for his season with the Rangers, itll be interesting to see if he can regain his Vezina-worthy ability.Hes had a great career in the NHL, and hes a great goalie, said Finland goalie Tuukka Rask, who also played well and finished with 28 saves in the loss. Hes been at the top for many, many years, so hopefully I can do the same.Theres only one thing missing from Lundqvists resume and thats a Stanley Cup. His performance on Tuesday showed he still has the ability to compete at an elite level. It was the type of performance that could lead to great things during the 2016-17 season.Its good for your confidence when you play a game like this, Lundqvist said. ' ' '
