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Phillies-Nationals Preview

Sep 29, 2010 - 3:50 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Philadelphia (94-63) at Washington (67-90), 7:05 p.m. EDT

The Philadelphia Phillies have already secured home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. Remaining sharp in preparation of making a run at a third straight pennant is the goal now.

The Phillies attempt to rebound from their third loss in four tries when they face the Washington Nationals in the finale of this three-game set Wednesday night.

Philadelphia (94-64) opened this series with an 8-0 win Monday, clinching a franchise-record fourth consecutive NL East title and the league's best record. Adam Dunn's walkoff homer sent the Phillies to a 2-1 loss Tuesday.

With four games left in the regular season, manager Charlie Manuel doesn't appear worried about wins and losses.

"We've got to keep getting our players some playing time," he said. "We've got to try and keep them sharp."

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins went 1 for 3 Tuesday in his first start since a right hamstring injury limited him to one pinch-hit appearance in the previous 16 games.

"I won't be 100 percent until next February - probably," Rollins said. "I just won't steal bases unless it's 100 percent a necessity. I want to get as much rest as I can, do as much as I can with it before I have to push it."

The 2007 NL MVP is hitting .245 with seven homers and 37 RBIs. The Phillies are a much better team with Rollins in the lineup, going 30-6 when he scores a run.

Joe Blanton (8-6, 4.94 ERA) takes the mound for Philadelphia looking for his first win in the nation's capital. The right-hander is 0-3 with a 7.67 ERA in six games at Washington.

He's entering this start with momentum, however, going 5-0 with a 3.54 ERA in 12 starts since losing at St. Louis on July 21. That stretch includes a road start against the Nationals on July 31, when he didn't get a decision after allowing four runs in six innings of a 7-5 defeat.

Blanton was solid Friday, yielding two runs in seven innings of a 3-2 win over the Mets.

Despite his unbeaten stretch, Blanton is expected to be used out of the bullpen in the NL division series, which begins next Wednesday. The Phillies opted to play that series over an eight-day schedule. The extra off day will allow them to go with a three-man rotation that will likely consist of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.

"I'm here to win another ring," Blanton said. "That's more important to me than anything."

The Nationals are assured of finishing last in the East for a fifth time in six years, and Wednesday could be Dunn's final game in Washington.

Dunn, a free agent this offseason, leads the team with 38 homers and 103 RBIs.

"I'm not going to go into (Wednesday) going, 'This is my last home game ever,' cry, go hand out Adam Dunn baseball cards. I'm not going to do that," Dunn said. "I don't know what y'all want me to say. I don't know what's going to happen. If I did, I would tell y'all. I do not."

Ross Detwiler (1-2, 2.52) gets one last chance this year to prove he's worthy of a spot in the Nationals' 2011 rotation.

The left-hander turned in perhaps his best performance of the season in Thursday's 7-2 win over Houston. He yielded two runs in a season-high six innings to get his first victory since Sept. 28, 2009.

Detwiler has been on the disabled list twice this season with hip injuries after undergoing offseason surgery.

He's 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA in four games - three starts - against the Phillies.