As strange as it sounds, the wins just keep on coming for the Phillies, who look for their season-high sixth win in a row when they take on the second place Washington Nationals Saturday night in the second of a three-game set. The offense, keyed by a two-homer, three-RBI night from Jimmy Rollins, looked good again in support of a solid A.J. Burnett, who allowed just two runs over 7.2 innings in their 6-2 win Friday to match their longest win streak of the season. A win today would even up the season series between the two teams, which Washington currently leads 4-3, but it will not be an easy task.
The Phillies will have their hands full against Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg(7-6), who owns a sparkling career 2.32 ERA against the Phillies. He has allowed just two earned runs across 13 innings against the Phils this season, and is coming off an impressive outing in a loss to Baltimore this past Monday, when he allowed two runs and four hits over seven innings with nine strikeouts. He is on pace to shatter his previous career high in strikouts, with 14o so far over 119.1 innings this season.
Cole Hamels (3-5) gets his first start against the Nationals this season in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career. Despite missing most of April and a slow start, the lefty sports a 2.87 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 100 innings, with a win-loss record more indicative of the poor run support he gets than any fault in his pitching. He pitched to a 2.63 ERA against Washington across four starts last season. Hamels has been mentioned as a prime trade candidate with the July 31st deadline just weeks away, so it's very possible that today's start is his last as a Phillie.
Game Notes:
- After breaking out of an 0-for-20 slump with a two-run shot against the Brewers Wednesday, Rollins has gone 5-for-12 with five runs, three home runs, and seven RBI over his last three games.
- The Phillies offense is averaging 6.2 runs/game during their current win streak. They averaged just over two runs per game over the ten games before Monday's series opening win at Milwaukee.
- The Nationals have won six of their last ten but have just one win in their past four games. They remain tied with the Atlanta Braves for first in the NL East qith losses by both teams yesterday.
Phillies Lineup:
1.Grady Sizemore
2. Jimmy Rollins
3. Chase Utley
4. Ryan Howard
5. Marlon Byrd
6. Cody Asche
7. Domonic Brown
8. Cameron Rupp
9. Cole Hamels
Nationals Lineup:
1. Denard Span
2. Anthony Rendon
3. Jayson Werth
4. Adam LaRoche
5. Ryan Zimmerman
6. Ian Desmond
7. Scott Hairston
8. Wilson Ramos
9. Stephen Strasburg
First Pitch: 7:15 PM ET
Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
Weather: 87° – Partly Cloudy – 10% Precipitation
TV: FOX
