Washington @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 20, 2010 ) Washington 0, Philadelphia 1
The Washington Nationals won't contend for a playoff berth this season, but they'll get a chance on Saturday to see how their young ace performs in the middle of a pennant race.
Nationals rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg will try to cool off the Philadelphia Phillies, who look to continue their surge toward the postseason when the teams' three-game series continues on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
The contest will mark Strasburg's first time facing the Phillies (69-52), who are among the hottest teams in the majors. They have won 21 of 27 overall and 18 of 21 at home to get within 2 1/2 games of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. The Phillies lead the wild card race by one game over the San Francisco Giants (69-54).
In order to keep it going, they'll have to get past Strasburg, who began his major-league career with a bang but has faded somewhat since.
The 22-year-old right-hander is looking for his first win since July 21 at Cincinnati. He spent nearly three weeks on the disabled list and struggled in his return to the majors, allowing six runs over 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Florida Marlins.
Strasburg (5-3, 2.97 ERA) was closer to his dominant form on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, though he settled for a no-decision after striking out seven and allowing three runs - one earned - over five innings.
The Phillies didn't do much at the plate in the series opener, managing only one run and four hits against Jason Marquis and two relievers, but Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia bullpen made it stand up for a 1-0 win.
The quiet offensive night was a rarity for the Phillies this month. They've hit .269 as a team in August, better than any other month this season.
They'll try to continue the offensive surge in support of 25-year-old right-hander Kyle Kendrick, who has won three of his last four decisions.
Kendrick (8-5, 4.45 ERA) has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his five starts since a disastrous outing in which he allowed seven runs and three home runs on July 19 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Kendrick faced the Nationals in his first two starts of the season, and they knocked him around both times, though he didn't factor in the decision in either game.
He allowed five runs over four innings in a 6-5 loss April 8 at Washington, and he gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings April 14 in Philadelphia, though the Phillies rallied to win that one, 14-7.
Those rough outings fall into line with Kendrick's career numbers against Washington. In eight starts against the Nationals, he is 1-2 with a 6.93 ERA. Ryan Zimmerman (7-for-13, one home run) and Willie Harris (5-for-13, two homers) have contributed to Kendrick's struggles against the Nationals.