Washington Nationals (50-95) at Philadelphia Phillies (84-60)
7:05pm - Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
The Phillies will close out their series and home stand against the Nationals behind their ace, Cole Hamels. In what has been a well-documented inconsistent season, Hamels had a solid start his last time out. With the playoffs around the corner, the Phillies hope that Hamels picks up some confidence in his last few starts. He will be opposed by the Nationals' Ross Detwiler, the young lefty. The Phillies will want to be patient with the youngster as they try to sweep away the punchless Nats.
Hamels' inconsistent season can be stabilized with a solid performance tonight. Lately, Hamels has been more up than down, and will look to rebuild his confidence moving into playoff season. He has a track record of success against Washington, with a .233 batting average against in 139 career plate appearances against current Nationals. With the right mentality and solid defense behind him, Cole can deliver the Phillies to their fifth straight win and a magic number of 10.
Ross Detwiler was not the announced starter but will take the hill against the Phillies tonight. Detwiler is a young lefty with some upside, but has mediocre numbers thus far in his career. Despite being a lefty, current Phillies have worn Detwiler out, sporting a .455 career batting average in 23 plate appearances. They have not homered off of the youngster but might end that trend tonight. A patient approach and situational hitting is always important for the Phillies' offense, and tonight will be no exception.
The Phillies are back on a roll and they will try to sweep the Nationals to finish off their season series. With the playoffs looming, the Phils must first focus on the task at hand: winning. A win tonight puts them at 25 games over .500 and lowers their magic number to just 10. Before leaving for one last long road trip, the Phillies can finish this home stand 6-1.
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