Washington @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 18, 2010 ) Washington 2, Philadelphia 5
The Philadelphia Phillies have altered their starting pitching to accommodate their upcoming series with the Atlanta Braves.
Manager Charlie Manuel has positioned stud hurlers Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt to his liking when Bobby Cox's club invades Citizens Bank Park on Monday.
First things first, however. The NL East-leading Phillies (88-61) will vie for their seventh straight win when they send Joe Blanton (7-6, 5.00 ERA) to the hill on Sunday in an effort to cap a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals (62-86).
Ryan Howard belted a two-run homer to notch his fifth consecutive 30-homer, 100-RBI season and Kyle Kendrick tossed six strong innings as Philadelphia posted a 5-2 triumph on Saturday.
Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez launched solo shots and Wilson Valdez added an RBI double as the Phillies won for the 10th time in their last 11 games.
With the victory, Philadelphia reduced its magic number for clinching its fourth consecutive division title to 11. In doing so, the team remained three games ahead of Atlanta (85-64), which recorded a 4-2 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday afternoon.
But before the Phillies can focus on the Braves, they must finish off the Nationals - and their offense seems to be dialed in. Philadelphia has averaged 6.9 runs per contest during their pronounced winning streak.
That's music to the ears of Blanton, who has bolstered his reputation as a second-half pitcher by posting a 4-1 mark with a 3.50 ERA in 12 starts since the All-Star break. As a result, Blanton is batting with Kendrick for the role of the team's potential fourth starter should it make the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
The 29-year-old right-hander allowed one run and five hits in six innings in his last start - which resulted in an 11-4 victory over the Florida Marlins on Monday.
Blanton has struggled against the Nationals, however, logging a 2-3 mark with a gaudy 6.45 ERA in 10 career starts.
With the season drawing to a conclusion, Washington has limped toward the finish line - dropping eight of its last 10 games.
The Nationals will send rookie Yunesky Maya (0-2, 6.55 ERA) to the hill. The 29-year-old Cuban right-hander remains winless in a pair of major-league starts this season.
Maya yielded four runs in the second inning in his last start against the Braves. Coupled with a pair of balks, Maya suffered a 4-0 loss to Atlanta on Monday.
The Phillies will represent the third NL East team Maya has faced this season. He permitted three first-inning runs in his debut against the New York Mets on Sept. 7.