Washington @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 21, 2010 ) Washington 8, Philadelphia 1
The Washington Nationals spoiled Roy Oswalt's debut with the Philadelphia Phillies three weeks ago, but the 32-year-old right-hander will get a chance to pay them back today.
Oswalt is set to take the mound for the rubber game of a three-game series this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, and the Phillies need him to pitch better than he did in his last encounter with the Nationals.
With Saturday's 8-1 loss, the Phillies remained 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the National League East and one game ahead of San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.
The Nationals dinged Oswalt for five runs - four earned - over six innings in his Phillies debut, beating Philadelphia 8-1 on July 30 in Washington.
Since then, Oswalt (8-13, 3.36 ERA) has been the pitcher the Phillies hoped they were getting when they acquired him from Houston before the non-waiver trade deadline. He has posted three consecutive quality starts and has won his last two outings to improve to 2-1 with a 3.08 ERA in four starts for Philadelphia.
Washington hasn't been one of Oswalt's favorite opponents over the years, though. Although he's 3-3 with a 3.72 ERA in 14 appearances against them, he hasn't beaten the Nationals since 2005 and is 0-2 against them this year. In addition to the loss last month, he also allowed four runs over 2 1/3 innings in Houston's 14-4 loss to Washington on May 31.
Should Oswalt's recent struggles against Washington continue, the Phillies will need more out of their offense than they've gotten so far in the series. They've managed only one run and four hits in each of the first two games.
Philadelphia has reason to expect that production to increase with all its stars back in the lineup. Second baseman Chase Utley returned Tuesday after missing 43 games because of surgery on his right thumb, and slugging first baseman Ryan Howard was activated from the disabled list Saturday and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his first game since Aug. 1.
They should be at full strength today against 26-year-old left-hander Scott Olsen, who has lost his last three starts, posting a 10.95 ERA during that stretch. Olsen (3-5, 5.14 ERA) lost to Atlanta on Tuesday, allowing three runs on five hits over five innings.
The Phillies aren't the best team for Olsen to try to turn it around against. He is 5-6 with a 5.37 ERA in 14 starts against Philadelphia and has had particular trouble with outfielders Jayson Werth (10-for-20, 3 HRs) and Raul Ibanez (5-for-10, 2 HRs).
Olsen faced the Phillies in his first start of the season, settling for a no-decision in Washington's 7-5 win April 15 in Philadelphia. He allowed four runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings in that one.