Washington Nationals Nathan Karns MLB debut, May 28, 2013 (Photo Courtesy of Jenn Jenson)

At long last, the Washington Nationals (27-25) offense came alive Tuesday night as the team out-hit their Beltway rival Baltimore Orioles (28-24) 9-3 at Nationals Park.

After an 81-minute rain delay, right-hander Nathan Karns (ND, 0-0) took the mound for Washington, called up directly from Double-A Harrisburg as a result of Ross Detwiler’s placement on the 15-day disabled list. Karns tossed a less-than-stellar 4.1 innings, but there were clear indications that the potential is there.

For starters, the 25-year-old pitched a 1-2-3 first inning, forcing Nate McLouth, Manny Machado and Nick Markakis out on infield grounders. [Read more…]