BALTIMORE (Map, News) - It was fun sharing the ballpark with you for a weekend, Washington.

But the Orioles have some work to do now.

After Sunday’s rain-drenched, 2-1 loss to the Nationals, the Orioles (23-20) embark to New York for a three-game series against the hated Yankees, beginning Tuesday night at 7:05.

It’s the beginning of a 13-game stretch against the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox, and arguably the club’s biggest series in the Bronx in more than a decade.

Sure, the Yankees are in the cellar of the American League East. With Tampa Bay challenging first-place Boston, it’s as if the division flipped upside down.

But for the Orioles no place — aside from Fenway Park in recent years — has tested the team like Yankee Stadium.

The history, the payroll, and the stubborn, vicious fans.

“I wish we were playing tomorrow to be honest with you,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. “I think the way we played [this homestand], the way we

competed, we gave ourselves a chance. I thought the guys battled hard. I

wish we were playing [today].”

The last time a trip to the Bronx was this important, a young kid named Jeffrey Maier made the most famous dropped-catch ever — robbing the Orioles and right fielder Tony Tarasco of an flyout in Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series.

It was a 5-4 loss to open a series New York would eventually won in five games en route to the Yankees first of four World Series titles in five years.

Since that series in October 1996, the Orioles and Yankees have played an un-even rivalry. The Orioles are 67-115 against the Yankees since 1997.

Still, it’s a rivalry — one much, much bigger than the one against the Nationals.

The Orioles and Yankees have played 878 games against one another.

The Orioles and Nationals’ relationship dates to 2006.

The Orioles and Nationals will meet regularly as Major League Baseball tries to drum up a regional rivalry, but this weekend’s series proves baseball has a long way to go to win back fans in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The three-game series showed a boost in attendance, drawing 95,673 — an average of 31,891 per game, which is about two-thirds of Camden Yards’ capacity.

After Cristian Guzman homered in the third inning and Ryan Zimmerman’s double scored Felipe Lopez to give the Nationals (19-26) a 2-0 lead, the Orioles tried to rally.

Adam Jones singled and took third on a one-out double by Luke Scott, but the Orioles’ momentum was halted by a 27-minute rain delay. When play resumed, Brian Roberts scored Jones on a sacrifice fly and moved Freddy Bynum, who entered as a pinch runner for Scott to third.

But that’s as close as the Orioles got, as their bid to move a season-high five games over .500 ended when Luis Ayala got Melvin Mora to fly out to right to end the inning.

For the Orioles, winning four of five games during the homestand was good, but now it’s time to bring on the Yanks.

Sean Welsh is the Orioles beat writer for The Examiner. He can be reached at swelsh@baltimoreexaminer.com