Phils-Nationals game notes: Hamels vs. Hernandez

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Phillies (77-40) vs. Nationals (56-61), 7:05 p.m. on CSN

Starting Pitchers
Phillies: Since getting bombed by the Mets on July 16, Cole Hamels (13-6, 2.53) has been terrific in his last four starts. Over that span, he has allowed just six earned runs on 22 hits in 30 23 innings (1.76), adding 26 strikeouts to three walks.
Nationals: Livan Hernandez (6-11, 4.41) is coming off his worst start since the All-Star break, having surrendered nine runs on nine hits in 3 23 innings against the Rockies. The Nationals have lost six of Hernandez last seven starts.

Previous games
In the last week, Washington has split a four-game set with Colorado and dropped two of three to Chicago. Their last game, a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Cubs, saw Jordan Zimmermann allow two homers in the seventh inning to give Chicago the lead and seal the loss.

The Phils are the hottest team in baseball, having bagged 12 wins in their last 13 games. Their most recent contest resulted in a 9-8, come-from-behind win over Dodgers.

Head-to-head
The Phils are 6-3 against the Nationals this season, outscoring Washington 37-33Hamels has allowed just one hit to Jesus Flores in 14 career at-bats(.071), striking him out eight timesRick Ankiel is 2-for-5 (.400) off Hamels with a double and a homerIn 19 starts against Washington, Hamels is 10-3 with a 2.61 ERACombined, Chase Utley and Placido Polanco are 23-for-93 (.355) against HernandezIn 30 career starts against the Phils, Hernandez is 12-11 with a 3.65 ERA.

Whos hot?
Ryan Zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a first-inning homer in the Nats last gameJimmy Rollins is working on an eight-game hitting streak, doubling three times and driving in six runs over that spanIn his last seven games, Hunter Pence has 10 hits, including three homers and six RBIs.

Storylines
With 45 games left to play, the Phils are in a position to make history. Their record sits at 77-40, so if they earn 23 more wins, theyll become just the third team in franchise history to notch 100 wins. They are currently on pace to win 107 games, which would make them the most successful Phillies team ever in terms of regular season victories.

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Where does this Phillies team rank among the best in franchise history?

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