The Phillies roll into Washington, D.C. to face off with the Nationals riding a short, but important, two game win streak. They look to build on that momentum as they continue to fight for first place in the National League East with the division leading New York Mets and the Florida Marlins. The Phillies come in to Tuesday tied with Florida for second place, a half a game back of New York.

Brett Myers is set to start Tuesday in the series opener. There had been some speculation that with the recall of J.A. Happ from AAA that perhaps Myers’ start would get pushed back a day, enabling the Phillies to showcase their young lefty for prospective trade partners. It seems, as of right now however, that that is not going to happen. It is unclear as of yet if Happ is even with the big league club, and perhaps could start Wednesday, although that would be pushing it close with the trade deadline at 4:00 PM EST on Thursday.

Unless something changes, Myers (3-9, 5.82) will face off against Collin Balester (1-2, 5.75). Balester is a rookie with just four career starts under his belt. With the Nationals being way out of any race (except for worst in the majors) at 18.5 games back of the Mets, they are letting their up and comers get as much time on the field as they can. In his last start, Balester went five innings against the San Francisco Giants, giving up just three runs on six hits and left the game in a position to get the win. Unfortunately for Balester, the Nationals’ bullpen blew the lead and lost the win for their young starter. With the loss of imposing reliever Jon Rauch to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Nationals’ bullpen is exploitable.

That is good news for the Phillies, as they may have to hit their way through this game. In Myers’ last outing, his first since coming back up from AAA, he allowed three runs in five innings of work, which sounds a lot better than it looked. Myers was able to work out of a couple serious jams, including loading the bases twice and walking the first four batters he faced. His control was nonexistant. If Myers is to be the key to the Phillies success down the stretch, he is going to have to get his control locked in and keep his velocity up. There were some signs of hope, however, as Myers retired the final six batters he faced and did not give up a single home run. Myers currently leads the league in home runs allowed with 24.

Wednesday is the battle of the veterans, as lefty Jamie Moyer (9-6, 3.76) goes against Tim Redding (7-5, 3.98). Redding just picked up his first win in 10 starts on July 11 against Houston, snapping a streak of nine straight no decisions. He has won 10 games in a season only once, and at seven wins this year, is having the second best season of his career. This is an entirely hittable pitcher, with a career 4.73 ERA.

Moyer, on the other hand, has been the most consistent pitcher for the Phillies all season. His last time out, Moyer went seven strong innings, giving up one run on two hits. Moyer has kept his opponents to three runs or less in each of his starts dating back to June 1. In that span, he is 3-3 with a 2.86 ERA. He has been the constant victim of little run support, as he was his last time out when the Phillies’ offense was only able to muster one run. The Phillies’ bats look end that streak against the vulnerable Washington pitching.

The final game of the series pits Kyle Kendrick (8-5, 4.70) against John Lannan (6-10, 3.33) in a rare Thursday night game. Lannan is another one of the Nationals’ up and coming young stars, and went seven strong innings his last time out, giving up just three runs against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the top team in the American League.

Kendrick bounced back from his worst outing of the year his last time out, giving up just one run in six innings against the Braves. He had given up seven runs in a little over four innings against Florida the time out before. He looks to become the third Phillies pitcher with nine wins on the season.

The Nationals are 18.5 games out of first place in the National League East and have the worst record in all of baseball. Unfortunately they play the Phillies like they’re the Red Sox. The Phils need to put this team down and sweep them. They need to win and win big. The Mets and Marlins are in the midst of a four game series and will most likely beat up on each other, putting the Phillies in a prime position to take advantage and move into sole position of first place. This is a great opportunity and the Phillies need to make the most of it.