The Orioles (21-19) have won five of their last six games after enduring a season-high five-game losing streak. They capped their current stretch by rallying from a three-run, sixth-inning deficit to beat Boston 6-3 on Wednesday to complete a two-game sweep.

"When you're able to beat good teams, it does a little for your confidence," said Orioles left fielder Jay Payton, who powered the victory with his fourth career grand slam. "We feel like we can compete with anybody."

Orioles manager Dave Trembley feels his team isn't willing to accept the notion that the AL East race, which is being led by Tampa Bay, will only come down to the Red Sox or the New York Yankees again.

"They're not intimidated. They really don't think they should take a back seat," Trembley said. "They think they can play with anybody."

The Orioles went 6-12 in interleague play last season, including a woeful 1-8 home record.

Baltimore wasn't much better against the Nationals (18-24), getting swept in a three-game series at Camden Yards after taking two of three on the road.

Still, Trembley feels that interleague play is a good thing.

"You play your neighbor. You play your rival," he told the Orioles' official Web sites. "The Mets play the Yankees, we play the Nationals (and) the Angels play the Dodgers. Anything that promotes the game, I think is positive."

Trembley hopes to get another solid outing from Garrett Olson (2-0, 2.95 ERA), who entered the rotation after Adam Loewen was placed on the disabled list with left elbow soreness April 25.

Olson was impressive Saturday in a 6-5 win at Kansas City. The left-hander overcame a 1-hour, 52-minute rain delay in the first inning to allow three runs and eight hits in 5 1-3.

That was the third start of the season for Olson, who has never faced an NL team.

The Nationals, who are in last place in the NL East, took three of four on the road against the New York Mets after winning 1-0 Thursday behind Jason Bergmann's gem. He gave up three hits and struck out a season-high nine in seven innings after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday.

Shawn Hill (0-0, 3.56) will try to replicate that performance in his first start against Baltimore.

The right-hander allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings Sunday before Luis Ayala served up two homers and three runs in the eighth as Washington lost 5-4 to Florida.

Hill is 1-2 with a 6.65 ERA in four interleague starts.

Washington is expected to activate Dmitri Young on Friday after placing Nick Johnson on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist. Johnson is expected to be out four to six weeks after suffering the injury on a swing late in Tuesday's loss at New York.

Young has been bothered by a lower back sprain since the end of spring training that caused him to be moved to a backup role behind Johnson at first base. He re-aggravated the injury on April 2 as a pinch-hitter and landed on the DL six days later.

Young was one of the few bright spots for Washington last season, hitting .320 with 13 homers and 74 RBIs and being named the NL comeback player of the year. He went 9-for-21 (.429) with a homer and two RBIs in six games against Baltimore in 2007.