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Strasburg eyes fourth straight win vs. Phils

Sep 5, 2014 - 3:06 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Stephen Strasburg will try to win his fourth consecutive decision on Friday night when the Washington Nationals begin a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Strasburg has gone 3-0 over his last four starts and is coming off one of his better starts of the campaign. He keyed a 3-1 win over Seattle on Saturday, scattering a run and six hits over 7 2/3 innings, striking out eight while not walking a batter.

The win moved the right-hander to 11-10 with a 3.49 earned run average on the year and came one start after he yielded five runs over four innings of a no- decision against San Francisco on Aug. 24.

"If he throws it where he wants to, he can be dominant out there," Nats manager Matt Williams said.

Strasburg has been dominant over the Phillies during the course of his career, going 4-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 10 meetings. That includes a 2-0 mark and 1.40 ERA in four encounters this year.

Washington began a nine-game road trip by getting swept in three games in Philadelphia from Aug. 25-27, but rebounded with series wins over Seattle and the Los Angeles Dodgers to go 4-5 on the trek.

The Nats concluded the swing on Wednesday, winning an 8-5 decision over Los Angeles.

Adam LaRoche had a big game despite not starting due to a sore back. He ended up driving in five runs after coming on as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. He hit a two-run homer that tied the game and later drove in a pair of runs on a single in the 12th inning.

The Dodgers responded with two runs to tie things up again in the bottom of the frame, but LaRoche beat out a potential double play grounder in the 14th frame that allowed Ian Desmond to score. Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a two- run homer for insurance.

"This was a crazy game, back and forth all day long," said Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper. "For Adam to do what he did is pretty impressive."

The Nationals hit a home run in a 12th consecutive game, tying the longest streak by the team since moving to Washington, D.C. in 2005 and they lead the Atlanta Braves by seven games for first place in the National League East.

The Phillies started a nine-game road trip of their own after sweeping the Nats, losing two of three to the New York Mets before getting a series win over the Braves.

Philadelphia logged a combined no-hitter versus Atlanta in Monday's opener, then shut out the Braves 4-0 on Tuesday. However, the Phillies failed to secure the sweep as they lost Wednesday's finale 7-4.

Ben Revere, though, went 3-for-5 and leads the NL with a .314 batting average. He has a hit in five straight, including four multi-hit games in a row.

While Revere is hot at the plate, the Phils are looking for Jerome Williams to extend his new-found success on the mound.

The 32-year-old righty is 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA in four starts with Philadelphia since being acquired off waivers and he won his third start in a row on Saturday versus the Mets. Williams yielded two runs on four hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings.

Williams is 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA in three previous meetings with the Nats, including a pair of starts.

The season series between the Phils and Nats is tied at 8-8.