Washington @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 17, 2010 ) Washington 1, Philadelphia 9
Kyle Kendrick was scheduled to pitch on Friday, but Charlie Manuel had other ideas.
The Philadelphia Phillies manager was getting his ducks in a row - well, in this case, stud pitchers Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt - for a key series next week against the Atlanta Braves.
So Oswalt was shuffled to Friday while Kendrick was forced to wait an extra 24 hours to take the hill.
Well, Oswalt delivered by tossing six strong innings in Friday's 9-1 triumph over the Washington Nationals.
Raul Ibanez had a two-run single to highlight a six-run first inning and Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz homered and drove in two runs apiece as Philadelphia (87-61) won its fifth straight and improved to 14-3 since Aug. 31.
With the victory, the NL East-leading Phillies reduced their magic number for clinching their fourth consecutive division title to 12. Philadelphia also remained three games ahead of the Atlanta Braves (84-64), who recorded a 6-4 victory over the New York Mets on Friday.
Acquired from the Houston Astros for left-hander J.A. Happ and a pair of prospects, Oswalt (13-13) has posted a 7-0 mark since Aug. 11. The 33-year-old right-hander allowed one run and six hits while striking out seven in six innings to pick up the win.
Now, Manuel will look to Kendrick (9-9, 4.85 ERA) to keep the good times rolling on Saturday against the Nationals (62-85), who have lost seven of their last nine.
The 26-year-old right-hander has lost four of his last five starts - including last Saturday's outing against the Mets. Kendrick allowed two runs and five hits in five innings, but the Phillies dropped a 4-3 decision.
The hurler has struggled mightily in three contests against the Nationals this season, posting an 0-1 record with a gaudy 12.71 ERA.
Kendrick will also need to keep a keen eye on Ryan Zimmerman, who went 4-for-4 with an RBI single on Friday. The slugger is 8-for-16 with one homer and five doubles in his career against Kendrick.
Washington will counter with Jordan Zimmermann (0-1, 5.29 ERA), who suffered a loss in his last outing after receiving three consecutive no-decisions.
The 24-year-old right-hander permitted five runs and five hits in three innings to take the loss in Sunday's 6-5 setback to the Florida Marlins.
Zimmermann, who received a no-decision against the Phillies earlier this season, will be hard-pressed not to improve upon the performance of Washington's starter on Friday.
Jason Marquis retired just one batter in Friday's rout, permitting six runs and six hits to take the loss.