Phils target another road series win in Washington
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Roy Halladay has dominated the Nationals. The June.
That combination may be tough for Washington to overcome in the finale of a three-game set this afternoon.
The Phillies have won a season-best eight straight series on the road (20-6 record). Their last series loss was June 17-19 at Seattle (1-2).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Halladay is 11-1 with a 2.21 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) all-time against the Nationals. That includes a 3-0 mark with a 3.13 ERA in three starts this season. He's won his last 10 starts vs. the Nats and is 11-0 in his last 12 starts facing the them. His lone loss came June 28, 2002, when the club was the Montreal Expos. At the time, Halladay was pitching for Toronto.
Halladay is coming off his seventh complete game of the season, but that was a loss to Arizona on Tuesday. The Diamondbacks rallied in the ninth inning for a 3-2 win at Citizens Bank Park to snap Halladay's personal four-game winning streak. He's 7-3 on the road this season.
Chien-Ming Wang's first career start against the Phillies was delayed a week by rainout on August 14. The right-hander gets his opportunity to face them today and takes a personal two-game winning streak into the contest. On Tuesday, Wang allowed seven hits and four runs over 6 1/3 innings in a victory against the Reds. Wang did face the Phillies once before, but that was a three-inning relief stint.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The team with the major's best record shook off a ninth-inning collapse in Friday's series opener to shut down the Nationals, 5-0, last night.
Jimmy Rollins and Wilson Valdez both knocked in two runs for the Phillies, who established a franchise record by going 31 games without back-to-back losses as the visiting club. Philadelphia hasn't dropped two straight on the road since a four-game slide from May 31 - June 4.
"That's how you have to do it," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of his team's bounce-back ability. "When you lose a game, you have to come out the next night. You just have to worry about that night's game."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Roy Oswalt (6-7) took the mound for the second straight Saturday against Washington after an extended rain delay at the outset of Friday's game forced his start to be pushed back. The right-hander gave up eight hits, walked one and recorded nine strikeouts over eight innings. The strikeout total and innings pitched were both season highs.
John Lannan (8-9) surrendered five runs -- three earned -- on seven hits and four walks in five-plus frames for Washington. He fell to 1-12 lifetime versus Philadelphia.
Hunter Pence homered in the sixth inning off Lannan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"When he sometimes gets a little tired, he hooks up and the ball comes up," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said of Lannan.
The Phillies, who are 7 1/2 games ahead of second-place Atlanta, are 8-5 vs. the Nationals this year.