• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Phillies-Nationals Preview

Jul 31, 2010 - 4:16 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Philadelphia (56-46) at Washington (44-58), 7:05 p.m. EDT

The Philadelphia Phillies are loading up for a run at a third consecutive NL pennant, while the Washington Nationals have begun shipping out some of their key players to build for the future.

Washington, though, is the team with a chance to secure the three-game series as the Phillies continue their visit to Nationals Park on Saturday night.

Philadelphia's newest acquisition couldn't help the team extend its winning streak to nine on Friday night, as former Houston ace Roy Oswalt struggled in his Phillies debut in an 8-1 defeat.

"It's different for sure," Oswalt said. "This team is good from top to bottom. It's good to get on a pitching staff with (Roy) Halladay and (Cole) Hamels and the other guys. It's hard to gain 30 games overnight."

Philadelphia (56-47) slipped 3 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East, and the Phillies likely need to improve their performance on the road if they hope to win the division for a fourth straight season.

The team went 7-0 on its recent homestand, but Philadelphia has dropped 19 of 26 away from home. Another loss this weekend would clinch the Phillies' second series defeat in 11 trips to Washington, where they're 21-10 since the start of 2007.

Many of Joe Blanton's biggest problems have come on the road, and the right-hander will try again for his first road victory since May 15. He's 1-4 with a 6.62 ERA outside of Philadelphia and 2-3 with a 6.51 ERA in his career against the Nationals.

Blanton (4-6, 5.85 ERA) gave up two runs in the first inning Monday against Colorado, but settled down to complete six innings with no further damage in a 5-4 victory.

"I felt good," Blanton said. "I just had a lot of runners on all day. I was able to keep the ball down more after the first inning."

It's unclear if the Phillies will make any more additions before Saturday afternoon's trade deadline, but the Nationals have been active sellers.

Washington (45-58) sent Matt Capps to Minnesota and Cristian Guzman to Texas this week, while rumors abound that slugger Adam Dunn may have played his final game in a Nationals uniform Friday.

"There are a lot of teams interested in Dunn," general manager Mike Rizzo told the Nationals' official website. "We have many options with him, and we are going to do what's best for long-term viability of the franchise."

Ross Detwiler (0-1, 0.00) may be pitching for a future spot in Washington's rotation throughout the rest of the season. The left-hander made his return to the majors following offseason hip surgery Sunday against Milwaukee, allowing five runs - all unearned - in 3 2-3 innings of an 8-3 defeat.

If he needs help from his bullpen, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman will likely feel confident. Washington relievers have not allowed a run over 14 1-3 innings in the last four games.

Detwiler is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA in two career starts against the Phillies. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins has four hits, including three doubles, in six at-bats against Detwiler.

Rollins missed three games with a bruised left foot this week, but returned to the lineup Friday, going 0 for 4.