Phillies (13-13) at Washington Nationals (16-9)7:05 p.m. on TCN
The Phillies took two of three in Atlanta to move back to .500 and can pick up more ground in the NL East this weekend when they visit the first-place Nationals. The Phils will get their first look at 19-year-old phenom Bryce Harper, who is 6 for 16 with four doubles and three RBI since his promotion five games ago.
Starting Pitchers
In what Kyle Kendrick sarcastically billed as a battle of aces, KK takes on Stephen Strasburg in the first of a three-game set.
Kendrick, 0-2 with a 6.59 ERA on the season, is making his third start. His first start in place of Cliff Lee was disastrous, as he allowed seven runs on 11 hits over three innings in Arizona. His last outing was much better. Kendrick held the Cubs to three runs (two earned) in six innings Tuesday, striking out seven in a loss. Hell have to be careful with the lefty Harper.
Its hard to start a season better than Strasburg has. The all-world 23-year-old is 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in five starts. Hes struck out 34 batters and has walked just six. His WHIP is 0.88. Hes among the top seven in the National League in ERA, WHIP and Ks.
Strasburgs success isnt fluky, its come as a result of possessing perhaps the best pure stuff of any pitcher in either league. His fastball averages, yes averages 96 miles per hour. His 89 mile per hour changeup (the same velocity as Kendricks fastball) dives and disappears, especially to lefties. And his 80 mile per hour slow curve is sharp with knee-buckling break. If he has all three of his pitches working Friday night... look out.
Head-to-head
The Phillies are 79-49 (.617) against the Nationals since they relocated to Washington from Montreal in 2005. The Phils were a remarkable 51-21 against the Nats from 2007-10 before losing the season series 10-8 in 2011.
MLB
The Nationals have a five-game winning streak over the Phils and have won two consecutive series at Nationals Park.
In 13 appearances (12 starts) vs. Washington, Kendrick is 2-3 with a 5.46 ERA. Current Nats are batting .318 with a .894 OPS off Kendrick, which is a bit scary given the sample size of about 130 plate appearances.
That said, Kendricks only allowed two homers to current Nats, and the man whos done the most damage, Ryan Zimmerman, is on the shelf with a shoulder injury.
Previous games
The Phillies scored 21 runs in three games against the Braves and took two of three. The standout game was the loss, where the Phillies blew leads of six and four runs and eventually lost, 15-13, in 11 innings.
The Nationals enter the series with a two-game winning streak after losing five straight. Washingtons offense is having a hard time scoring runs and it isnt hard to understand why when you look at the lineup, even with Harper. The Nats have averaged 2.0 runs per game over their last seven.
Whos hot
Laynce Nix has been a revelation. He went 5 for 9 in the Braves series with a solo home run and a three-run double. Hes batting .342 on the season with a 1.076 OPS. The offense was inconsistent for much of April, but Nix and fellow first base fill-in Ty Wigginton havent been the reason.
The leading factor in the Phillies' recent offensive successtheyve averaged 5.4 per game over the last 10has been the top of the order. Jimmy Rollins followed a 3 for 37 stretch by getting on base 10 times in the last six games. Shane Victorino has a homer, four RBI and two runs scored during his four-game hitting streak. Placido Polanco is up to .265 after bottoming out at .196 eight days ago.
And, of course, theres Carlos Ruiz, who set a single-game record for RBI by a Phillies catcher on Wednesday with seven.
Lineup
1) Jimmy Rollins, SS
2) Juan Pierre, LF
3) Placido Polanco, 3B
4) Hunter Pence, RF
5) Shane Victorino, CF
6) Laynce Nix, 1B
7) Carlos Ruiz, C
8) Pete Orr, 2B
9) Kyle Kendrick P
Sound off
What is your predicted final line for Strasburg?
E-mail Corey Seidman at cseidman@comcastsportsnet.com