Washington @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 3, 2013 ) Washington 9, Philadelphia 6

For Roy Halladay and the rest of the Philadelphia Phillies, the final 3 1/2 weeks of the regular season is a chance to give fans hope for 2014. Halladay makes his third appearance in his injury comeback Wednesday night as the Phillies conclude a three-game series against the visiting Washington Nationals. The Phillies opened the set with a 3-2 victory, but the Nationals answered Tuesday by jumping ahead early and hanging on for an 8-6 triumph.

While Halladay looks to regain some semblance of his prior form, Nationals counterpart Jordan Zimmermann's goal is far simpler: pitch well enough to keep the Nationals in the wild-card hunt. Washington enters the series finale 7 1/2 games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the second National League wild-card spot, and time is running out in a hurry. The good news: The Nationals wind down their 10-game road trip with series against the lowly Mets and Marlins.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Jordan Zimmermann (15-8, 3.33 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Roy Halladay (3-4, 7.94)

Zimmerman has responded well from a five-inning throttling at the hands of the Chicago Cubs two weeks ago. The 27-year-old Wisconsin native threw 7 2/3 solid innings in a 7-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, then repeated the feat but was tagged with the loss after surrendering three runs on six hits to the Mets. Zimmermann is just 2-5 with a 4.37 ERA in eight career starts against the Phillies, including a loss in their previous encounter July 11.

Halladay has a 12-2 career mark against the Nationals, but isn't the same pitcher he was when he dominated just about every major-league lineup last decade. The 36-year-old Denver native has been so-so in two starts since returning from right shoulder surgery, allowing seven runs on 11 hits over 11 innings against the Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks. The longball has been a major concern, with Halladay allowing 11 home runs in just 45 1/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Halladay went seven innings in his last encounter with the Nationals back on Aug. 25, 2012, allowing two runs on seven hits in a 4-2 victory.

2. Nationals OF Denard Span has a career-best 16-game hitting streak.

3. Washington leads the season series 8-7.

PREDICTION: Nationals 6, Phillies 3