On the field at least, the Nationals and Orioles have had a pretty friendly rivalry

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dave Martinez was asked about the rivalry between the Nationals and Orioles — specifically, whether it’s actually become much of one — and his answer was blunt.

“Honestly, no,” Washington’s manager said. “It really hasn’t.”

That might come as news to quite a few fans in the area — and a handful of lawyers — but what Martinez seemingly meant was despite the proximity of the franchises, there isn’t a great deal of animosity when they play. As rivalries go, this one’s been pretty friendly on the field.

“I got a lot of respect for what they do, and I know that they feel the same way about what we do here,” Martinez said. “We know they’ve got a very good young team. We’ve got a very good young team, playing pretty good right now. So should be fun. Fans should be excited. Two teams that are very close.”

Washington’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore on Tuesday night was the first of four scheduled meetings this season between the teams, separated by about 40 traffic-heavy miles. The Nationals are in their 20th season in D.C. since arriving from Montreal. That move was fought by Orioles ownership, and an agreement was reached that put both teams on the same TV station, with the Orioles having a significantly larger ownership stake in the regional sports network.