Nationals vs. Phillies Preview
PHILADELPHIA, PA (AP) – Since his lone rough outing of the season, Roy Halladay has returned to dominance while winning his last two starts. He has almost always been at his best against the Washington Nationals.
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The reigning NL Cy Young award winner looks to win his ninth straight start against the Nationals and help the Philadelphia Phillies complete a three-game series sweep Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Halladay (4-1, 2.14 ERA) allowed a total of three runs in his first three starts before he was roughed up for six in 6 2-3 innings of a 9-0 loss to Milwaukee on April 19. Since then, Halladay has yielded one run in each of his last two outings, while striking out 22 over 17 2-3 innings.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Phillies -240 money line favorites for Thursday’s game against the Nationals. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 66% of more than 2,519 bets for this game have been placed on the Phillies -240.
The right-hander allowed seven hits and struck out eight Saturday in his 60th career complete game, a 2-1 win over the New York Mets. He began the game by throwing his first 18 pitches for strikes, becoming the first pitcher since 1991 to accomplish that feat.
Halladay, who turns 34 next week, has completed 11 of his 39 starts since joining the Phillies (20-9) last season.
“Roy’s condition is off the chart. We all know that. I will compare him to a boxer who’s going 12 rounds and he’s trying for 25,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “He’s always got something in the tank.”
Halladay has had plenty of energy while going 9-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 12 starts versus Washington. He’s given up just nine runs over 59 2-3 innings during his personal eight-game winning streak against the Nationals franchise.
Halladay, 7-0 with a 1.54 ERA against the franchise since it relocated from Montreal to Washington in 2005, allowed two runs and struck out nine for his second straight complete game against the Nationals in 3-2 road win April 13.
In less than two seasons with Philadelphia, Halladay has gone 4-0 versus Washington, giving up three total runs in those meetings.
While Halladay has dominated the Nationals, scheduled Washington starter John Lannan (2-3, 3.78) is still searching for his first win versus Philadelphia.
The left-hander allowed three runs in six innings to lose to Halladay and the Phillies last month, falling to 0-9 with a 5.80 ERA in 12 career starts against Philadelphia.
Lannan has also lost his last two starts overall, but the Nationals scored only three runs in those contests. He allowed two runs in 6 2-3 innings of a 2-1 defeat to San Francisco on Saturday.
Now, Lannan will try to help Washington (14-16) avoid a seventh consecutive loss at Philadelphia, where the Nats have also dropped 23 of their last 27.
Raul Ibanez was 3 for 4 with his second homer of the season to lead the NL East-leading Phillies to a 7-4 victory, their 10th win in 13 games overall. Ibanez is batting .192 on the season, but is 5 for 7 since snapping an 0-for-35 slump with a pair of doubles Tuesday.
“I feel better at the plate, starting to feel more comfortable and seeing the ball better,” said Ibanez, who is 10 for 18 with two home runs off Lannan.
Ex-Phillie Jayson Werth went 1 for 4 on Wednesday, and is 4 for 18 with seven strikeouts in five games against his former team. Werth is 1 for 5 with three strikeouts versus Halladay.
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