Washington Nationals Series Preview: Nationals Battle Division Foe Philadelphia Phillies

Apr 12, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher

(31) throws the ball during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals won 4-3 in 10 innings. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

After an abysmal start to the season, the Washington Nationals hoped to gain some momentum last series against the Boston Red Sox, but ended up dropping two of three at Fenway. Now the Nationals head home and look to rebound and right the ship this season against their division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a 3-6 start this season. The Phillies opened at home to the Red Sox where they dropped two out of three. Facing similar offensive woes as the Nats, the Phillies could only manage a handful of runs. The Phillies continued their home stand against the Nats where they took two out of three. The Phillies didn’t exactly win these games as much as the Nats lost them with poor defensive efforts. Next, the Phillies started their first road trip against the New York Mets where they were swept.

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The Nationals are also off to a 3-6 start this year. The Nats have lost each of their three series to start the year. Most of the first nine games of the year have been marred with mistakes on the defensive end and low offensive output. The offense finally stepped it up the past two games, scoring 17 runs after only scoring 17 in the first seven games. The Nationals look to continue their offensive output against a Phillies team who is also off to a slow start.

Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups against Philadelphia and see who holds the advantage as the Nats hope to win a series and break out of this slump.

Next: Game 1: Hamels vs. Fister