Colorado @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2014 ) Colorado 3, Washington 7

The Washington Nationals try for their fourth straight victory when they host the struggling Colorado Rockies on Tuesday in the middle contest of their three-game series. Washington, with its starting lineup intact for the first time since Opening Day, prevailed 7-3 on Monday as Bryce Harper returned after missing 57 games with a thumb injury. "Having such a deep lineup's huge," Harper told reporters after contributing an RBI single on his own bobblehead night. "One through eight, pick your poison because you're going to get a guy who can hit the ball out of the ballpark or hit a double or anything like that."

Washington is one-half game behind Atlanta in the National League East, and with Miami, Philadelphia and the New York Mets beginning to fade, it appears the Nationals and Braves will stage their own race down the stretch. Colorado has lost 12 of its last 14 games - including seven of eight on the road - and dropped completely out of contention in the NL West by going 8-20 in June. Washington's Stephen Strasburg is coming off his worst start of the season but hasn't lost in his last eight home turns (5-0) as he opposes Christian Friedrich, who has struggled since returning to the majors and - like Strasburg - lost to Milwaukee in his last outing.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLBN, ROOT (Colorado), MASN2 (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Christian Friedrich (0-2, 8.10 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (6-6, 3.70)

Friedrich allowed five runs and nine hits (two homers) in four innings of a 7-4 loss at Milwaukee on Thursday but showed signs of brilliance with eight strikeouts. "It's about consistency, especially at this level," the 26-year-old Illinois native told reporters. "Everyone's got the stuff, but it's just about being consistent. When you're not consistent, you get hurt out there." Friedrich's previous major-league experience came in 2012, when he went 5-8 with a 6.17 ERA in 16 starts with Colorado.

Strasburg yielded seven runs, eight hits (two homers) and three walks in 4 2/3 innings of a 9-2 loss at Milwaukee on Wednesday to extend his winless streak to three starts and increase his ERA to 7.27 during that span. “I’m not right mechanically right now, and I think it’s causing (hitters) to see the ball a lot better,” the 25-year-old California native told reporters. “Happens to everybody. I’m going to keep working hard, and it’s going to turn.” Strasburg is 1-2 with a 2.84 ERA in three starts against Colorado - the last NL West team to defeat him at home (July 6, 2012) - but never has faced Troy Tulowitzki, who leads the majors with a .353 batting average.

WALK-OFFS

1. Colorado is 16-28 on the road and on pace to finish 29-52 away from home for the third consecutive season.

2. Washington SS Ian Desmond is 6-for-6 with 14 RBIs with the bases loaded this season after his three-run double in the sixth inning Monday broke a 2-2 tie.

3. The Rockies are 14-7 all-time at Nationals Park, which opened in 2008.

PREDICTION: Nationals 6, Rockies 2