Washington @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 1, 2010 ) Philadelphia 6, Washington 4
If the Philadelphia Phillies are going to catch the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, they'll probably need to take advantage of the luxury of a three-game home series against the last-place Washington Nationals.
They have the right man on the mound to start the series on the right note.
The Phillies send ace Roy Halladay to the mound tonight, hoping to cut into Atlanta's 2 1/2-game lead when they open the three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 5-2 loss to San Francisco on Thursday, but it looks to start another winning streak and continue its dominance at home, where it has won 17 of 20 since dropping two of three to Atlanta from July 5-7.
Halladay has played a large role in that success. The seven-time All-Star hasn't lost at Citizens Bank Park in two months and is 9-4 with a 1.95 ERA in 14 home starts.
Halladay (15-8, 2.24 ERA) has won five consecutive starts - allowing one run or fewer in four of them - and has compiled a 1.62 ERA during that stretch. He has struck out 44 and walked three over the same span.
The 33-year-old right-hander looks to keep it going by continuing his dominance against the Washington/Montreal franchise. Halladay is 6-1 with a 2.43 ERA in 10 appearances against the franchise, including wins in his last six decisions dating to 2002.
The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner made his Phillies debut by beating the Nationals on April 5, holding them to one run on six hits over seven innings in an 11-1 win.
Washington catcher Ivan Rodriguez has enjoyed success against Halladay, though, going 13-for-32 (.406) with two homers.
While Halladay has made the major impact the Phillies hoped for when they acquired him from Toronto, right-hander Jason Marquis (0-5, 14.33 ERA) hasn't been the pitcher the Nationals hoped they were getting when they signed him to a two-year, $15 million deal in December.
Marquis, who turns 32 on Saturday, spent nearly four months on the disabled list after right elbow surgery, and his first two starts since coming back have left much to be desired. He has lasted only four innings in each outing - he hasn't made it through five innings in any of his five starts this season - and he surrendered three home runs Saturday against Arizona.
With prospect Jordan Zimmermann on the cusp of returning the majors, Marquis' spot in the rotation might be in danger if he can't turn things around tonight against a Phillies team that has been responsible for a good deal of his struggles this year.
His first two starts of the season were against Philadelphia, and he gave up eight runs in four innings April 7 and allowed seven runs - six earned - in 4 1/3 innings April 12, losing both decisions.
Marquis is 5-5 with a 5.21 ERA in 21 appearances against the Phillies. He has shut down leadoff man Jimmy Rollins (5-for-36) but has run into trouble against Chase Utley (11-for-23, 1 HR) and Jayson Werth (6-for-12, 2 HR).