Washington @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 28, 2018 ) Washington 2, Colorado 5

After losing two months of the season due to a broken foot, David Dahl has the streaking Colorado Rockies on the verge of the first division title in franchise history. Dahl has homered in five consecutive games for the Rockies, who aim for their ninth straight victory when they host the Washington Nationals on Saturday.

Charlie Blackmon, Ian Desmond and Chris Iannetta also homered in Friday’s 5-2 win as Colorado clinched a postseason berth and maintained its one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West with two to play. Dahl is batting .316 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs this month while Trevor Story is 6-for-18 with two doubles, one triple, two homers and three RBI in his last five games after missing five with right elbow soreness. The Rockies can move closer to clinching the division title with a win on Saturday over Washington, which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. Trea Turner tripled in two runs in the series opener and the Nationals outhit Colorado 12-8 but went just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, MASN2 (Washington), AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (9-7, 3.77 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Jon Gray (12-8, 4.91)

Strasburg needed 100 pitches to get through four innings against Miami on Monday, allowing one run on three hits and four walks. The three-time All-Star is looking to reach the 10-win mark for the fifth consecutive season and sixth time in his career. Blackmon is 7-for-14 with one homer against Strasburg, who is 4-4 with a 4.19 ERA in nine career starts versus Colorado – including a 1-3 record and 7.20 mark in four outings at Coors Field.

After posting a 7.88 ERA over his first four starts this month, Gray turned in a stellar outing against Philadelphia on Monday as he gave up one run and four hits over seven innings of a 10-1 victory. The 26-year-old native of Oklahoma owns a 7-3 record and 4.50 ERA in 15 starts at Coors Field this season. Matt Wieters is 4-for-9 with a home run against Gray, who is 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA in three career starts versus Washington.

WALK-OFFS

1. If the Rockies and Dodgers finish tied atop the NL West, there will be a one-game playoff for the division crown on Monday in Los Angeles.

2. The Nationals need one victory in their final two games to secure their seventh straight season with a .500 record or better.

3. Colorado has reached the postseason in consecutive campaigns for the first time in the club’s 26-year history.

PREDICTION: Rockies 7, Nationals 4