Phillies at Nationals series preview, 8/25-8/27

The Phillies (10-14) will visit the Nationals (11-15) for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday evening.

Read ahead for a quick rundown of the pitching match ups and some key statistics from this series.

Tuesday, 6:05pm. Jake Arrieta (1-3, 4.95 ERA) vs. Erick Fedde (1-1, 2.55 ERA). Arrieta has gone more than five innings in just one of his four starts this season. In 16 career starts against the Nats, Arrieta has notched a 1-3 record, a 4.61 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Asdrubal Cabrera is 6-for-16 (.375 avg) with two homers and four RBI in his career against Arrieta. Fedde, a right-hander, was Washington's first round draft pick in 2014. In five appearances (four starts) against the Phillies, Fedde sports a 2-1 record with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. Scott Kingery is 3-for-7 with a double and a home run in his career when facing Fedde.

Wednesday, 6:05pm. Aaron Nola (2-2, 3.10 ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (2-2, 3.99 ERA). Nola, in 19 career starts against Washington, sports a 4-6 record with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Yan Gomes is 2-for-7 in his career against Nola...both of those hits are homers. Nola has a 3.70 ERA in nine starts at Nationals Park. In nine career starts against the Phillies, the left-handed Corbin has a 5-2 record with a 3.18 ERA along with a 1.15 WHIP. Corbin has a 3.44 ERA in three home starts this year. Jean Segura is 7-for-19 (.368 avg) with two doubles in his career when facing Corbin.

Howard w/ AA Reading last year

Thursday, 6:37pm. Spencer Howard (0-1, 6.17 ERA) vs. Max Scherzer (2-1, 4.31 ERA). The rookie right-hander Howard, the Phils' 2nd round draft pick from 2017 is still looking for his first big league win. Howard tossed 3 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run in a no decision against Toronto in his last start. Scherzer is without a win in four home starts this season. In 20 career starts against the Phils, Scherzer has posted an 11-3 record with a 2.62 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Jay Bruce is 7-for-22 (.318 avg) with two home runs against Scherzer.

J.T. Realmuto is batting .310 in eight road games this season but is yet to homer on the road. In 43 career games at Nationals Park, Realmuto sports a .266 average with four home runs and 21 RBI.

In 482 career games in Washington Bryce Harper has tallied a .285/.396/.519 slash line. Harper's 1.119 OPS leads the National League.

Rhys Hoskins is a .196 hitter with 10 home runs and 29 RBI in 44 career games against the Nats. Hoskins is a .151 hitter in 22 games at Nationals Park.

In eight home games this year, outfielder Juan Soto is batting .269 while in nine road games he's batting .441. Soto has a .302 average with nine homers and 28 RBI in 31 career games against the Phillies.

Reliever Daniel Hudson is tied for second in the NL with six saves but sports a 6.30 ERA this season. In 16 career appearances against the Phils, the righty throwing Hudson has a 3.86 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.

The Nationals' .264 team batting average ranks third best in the majors while the Phillies' .258 mark ranks as seventh best.

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

Jason Knapp Q&A

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