My Team - Nationals at Philadelphia

Proposed starters -

Monday: Haren versus Lannan
Tuesday: Jordan versus Hamels
Wednesday: Gonzalez versus Lee
Thursday: Zimmermann versus Kendrick

Monday morning, Philly is in 3rd in the NL East, 7.5 GB Atlanta and 3.5 GB the Nationals. So far, July has been good to the Phils - winning two of three at Pittsburgh and two of three at home versus the Braves.

Yeah, Ryan Howard is on the DL (left knee inflammation). Setup reliever Mike Adams is also on the DL (right biceps tendinitis). This is still a veteran team that doesn't panic. This series is gonna be tough. Last meeting, in mid-June, Philly took two of three in Washington.

Last time (17 June), Lannan pitched 5 effective innings against the Nationals (6H, 2ER, 1BB, 4K). Hamels didn't pitch in that series, but in 25 career starts he has a 4/1 K/BB ratio (173K/43BB), a 1.09 WHIP and a .223 BAA. On 18 June, Lee went 8IP, giving up 5H, 2ER and striking out 9. On 19 June, Kendrick pitched 7.2 innings against the Nationals, giving up 2 hits, one earned run, one walk and striking out 6. It's a good think the Nationals acquired Scott Hairston from the Cubs on Sunday (for a Single-A pitcher to be named).

In the weekend sweep of the Padres, Washington's offense started showing signs of life. Wilson Ramos' return to the lineup immediately provided a spark. However, the Nats' bullpen struggles continued. Washington will need to break through against the Philadelphia starting staff. Hairston may find himself in the lineup sooner rather than later. His power bat could be a big help right away. Tyler Moore looks like the odd man out for now. Hopefully, Washington scores enough to give the bullpen some breathing room.

For the Phils, Domonic Brown's good year should continue in this series. Keep Chase Utley, Michael Young and Ben Revere off base, and maybe Brown won't do as much damage.

Monday, I'm rooting for Haren to be competitive deep in the game. Maybe the time off has helped. Monday is gonna be a slugfest, where the better bullpen gets its' team a win. Hamels will out-pitch the promising rookie Jordan on Tuesday. Lee will shut down Washington on Wednesday, and Zimmermann will shut down Philadelphia on Thursday. Given my guesswork, Monday is a must-win for Washington. A split won't help the Nats get closer to Atlanta, but losing three of four would dampen some of the recent good feelings.