Washington @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 15, 2015 ) Washington 4, Philadelphia 0

Highlighted by an impressive power surge, Bryce Harper is doing his best to keep the Washington Nationals' faint postseason hopes alive. After going deep twice to increase his home run total to eight in his last 11 contests, Harper looks to help Washington complete a sweep of the host Philadelphia Phillies when the National League East rivals conclude their three-game series on Wednesday.

Harper also had an RBI single in Tuesday's 4-0 triumph for Washington, which has won three in a row overall following a five-game skid to move within 8 1/2 games of the first-place New York Mets with 18 remaining on the schedule. An NL MVP candidate, Harper leads the Senior Circuit in batting average (.338), homers (39) and runs scored (108) heading into his first career meeting with rookie starter Adam Morgan on Wednesday. The floundering Phillies continue to plummet, having dropped 10 of 13 to become the first major-league team to reach the 90-loss plateau. Cody Asche recorded the lone hit in Tuesday's loss and has two homers and five RBIs in his last four games heading into Wednesday's tilt versus left-hander Gio Gonzalez.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MASN2 (Washington), CSN Philadelphia

PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals LH Gio Gonzalez (10-7, 3.88 ERA) vs. Phillies LH Adam Morgan (5-6, 4.60)

Gonzalez settled for a no-decision in his last outing on Friday despite allowing one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings against Miami. The 29-year-old continues to struggle with his control, however, issuing seven walks in his last two outings while permitting multiple free passes in each of his last six trips to the mound. Gonzalez split a pair of decisions versus Philadelphia as he rebounded from a season-opening loss by tossing 6 1/3 strong innings in a 4-1 triumph on May 24.

Morgan suffered his second straight loss on Friday after yielding four runs on seven hits in five innings of a 5-1 setback to the Chicago Cubs. The loss knocked the 25-year-old to 3-2 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, although he has surrendered seven homers in eight contests at the hitter-friendly field. Morgan will be making his 15th career start, but first versus Washington.

WALK-OFFS

1. Washington 2B Anthony Rendon (14-for-31) and 3B Yunel Escobar (14-for-32) are both riding seven-game hitting streaks.

2. Philadelphia CF Odubel Herrera is 1-for-8 with six strikeouts in the series.

3. Phillies 1B Ryan Howard had his knee drained following the series opener and is expected to sit out several contests.

PREDICTION: Nationals 5, Phillies 2