Washington @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 26, 2011 ) Washington 3, Cincinnati 4

THE STORY: A pair of teams on postseason life support square off when Cincinnati hosts the second of a three-game series with Washington. The Reds fell into an early hole in Friday's series opener before rallying for a 4-3 victory, with Miguel Cairo's RBI single ending it in the ninth. The Nationals enter Saturday's contest with a four-game losing streak.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MASN 2 (Washington), Fox Sports Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals LH Ross Detwiler (2-3, 2.61) vs. Reds RH Mike Leake (10-8, 4.09).

Detwiler snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Arizona Aug. 22, allowing one run on six hits over 6 2/3 innings. He has suffered from a lack of run support, but Detwiler has yielded just seven runs in 22 2/3 innings since joining the rotation. He has lost both of his career starts against Cincinnati, but he pitched well in an Aug. 17 setback (6 IP, 1 ER, 7 K). Reds slugger Joey Votto has faced Detwiler three times, hitting a home run and walking twice. Leake had turned in five straight quality starts before sputtering in his last two (12 IP, 10 R), including an Aug. 16 loss at Washington that saw him give up six runs (five earned) and a pair of homers in six innings. Prior to that, Leake had won both of his career starts against the Nationals, yielding just one earned run in 12 innings. Washington's Ryan Zimmerman is 4-for-7 with a home run against Leake.

ABOUT THE REDS (65-66): Cincinnati was just three games out of first place in the National League Central but quickly faded, playing .500 ball over the past month while watching Milwaukee pull away from the pack. Offense certainly hasn't been the problem — the Reds lead the National League in runs (612), with Votto (.327, 24 HRs, 84 RBIs), Jay Bruce (.265, 27 HRs, 84 RBIs) and Brandon Phillips (.295, 12 HRs, 72 RBIs) pacing a potent lineup.

ABOUT THE NATIONALS (62-68): Washington has shown flashes of promise but has been unable to keep pace in the National League East largely because of its sputtering lineup. The Nationals rank near the bottom of the league in nearly every offensive category, including runs (494) and batting average (.241). Michael Morse leads the club with a .316 average, 21 homers and 72 RBIs, and 3B Ryan Zimmerman is batting .299 in 72 games, but no other Washington regular is hitting better than .250.

FINAL PITCH: Cincinnati has won the last six times that Leake took the mound for a Saturday start.