Phillies game notes: Oswalt vs. Lannan

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Phillies (80-43) at Nationals (60-63), 7:05 p.m. on CSN

Starting Pitchers
Phillies: Roy Oswalt (5-7, 3.84 ERA) will go for his second win against the Nationals in a week when he takes the mound Saturday night. Last Saturday, Oswalt was the winning pitcher in the Phillies 11-3 mauling of the Nationals. He surrendered three runs in seven innings, registering his first win since June 12.

Nationals: John Lannan (8-8, 3.55) gave up 7 runs in three innings in an 11-3 loss to the Phillies last Saturday. The Nationals left-hander said he aggravated a left knee injury in Saturday's contest but says the pain has subsided.

Lannan has a 1-11 career record against he Phillies with a 4.96 ERA. His only win against the Phillies came on June 1 in a 2-1 game where he pitched 5 and a third innings.

Previous games
Ryan Madson was the victim of a late collapse Friday night after Ryan Zimmerman belted a walk off grand slam to beat the Phillies 8-4. The Nationals and Phillies are just a week removed form splitting a pair of games at Citizens Bank Park. The National won last Friday 4-2 before the Phillies answered back on Saturday with a 11-3 win.

Head-to-head
The Phillies are 7-5 this season against Washington. Despite trailing the division by 20 games the Nationals have proven to be a nuisance to the division leaders. After this three-game set, the Nationals visit Philadelphia again from Sep. 20-22, including a doubleheader on the 20th.

Whos hot?
Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, John Mayberry and Carlos Ruiz led the Phillies third inning offensive assault Friday night. While Ruiz was the only Phillie to post two hits in the game, Mayberry continues to produce offense. Since returning to the Phillies in late July, Mayberry is hitting .308 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs. Mayberry contributed an RBI triple to Friday nights losing effort but he may find himself in a supporting role Saturday. Shane Victorino is now eligible to play after serving out his two game suspension for his role in an altercation against the Giants.

Storylines
The Phillies are hoping Roy Oswalt can establish some sort of consistency in a season that has been anything but for the 34 year-old right-hander. Oswalt's 5-7 record has been checkered with several stints on the DL with lower back problems.

Sound off
Which platoon of outfielders gives the Phillies the best chance to win?

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