Thursday, May 5, 2011
Posted: 12 p.m.
CSNPhilly.com
Phillies (20-9) vs. Nationals (14-16), 7:05 on CSN
Starting Pitchers
Phillies:Roy Halladay (4-1, 2.14) - The reigning Cy Young winner has 47 strikeouts against only seven walks this season and is coming off a complete game victory against the Mets in which he had eight Ks and only one BB. He is 9-1 with a 1.96 ERA against the Nationals in his career.
Nationals: John Lannan (2-3, 3.78) - His career numbers against the Phillies are downright hideous: 0-9 with a 5.80 ERA in 12 starts. He faced them on April 13 and pitched pretty well, allowing three runs (two earned) in six innings. Unfortunately he was being opposed by Halladay, who tossed a six-hit complete game to earn the victory.
Previous games
Vance Worley pitched well in his second major league start of 2011, tossing six innings and allowing one run on four hits on Wednesday night in a 7-4 win. Raul Ibanez had three hits and scored twice, while Jimmy Rollins and Brian Schneider scored two runs apiece.
Danny Espinosa hit a three-run homer for Washington, while Adam LaRoche had an RBI double.
Head-to-head
The Phillies are 4-1 against the Nats this season, including a 2-1 mark when the teams met in Washington last month.
MLB
Whos hot?
Ibanez has five hits in his last seven at-bats after going 35 at-bats without a hit. ... Rollins has five multi-hit games in his last seven contests. ... Shane Victorino has hit safely in seven straight games.
For the Nats, Alex Cora is 5-for-8 in his last three games. ... Laynce Nix is 4-for-10 with three runs scored in his last three starts.
Storylines
Can HalladayLannan continue their respective successfailure against the opponent? ... The Nats have not scored many runs for Lannan this season, totaling two or fewer runs in three of his last four starts. ... Is it possible that Ibanez could be the Phillies' hottest player by the end of this series? ... Jayson Werth is 4-for-18 with seven strikeouts against the Phils this season.
Sound off
Do you think Worley should take Joe Blanton's spot in the rotation, even once Blanton is healthy?
Related: Worley shines in win over NationalsBuy Phillies gear