Philadelphia @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 19, 2011 ) Philadelphia 4, Washington 8

THE STORY: The Washington Nationals rewarded the brave souls who weathered a 2-hour, 22-minute rain delay on Friday. Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off grand slam capped a six-run uprising in the ninth inning as the Nationals rallied for a stunning 8-4 home victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Washington will vie for its fourth win in five outings on Saturday when it turns to lefthander John Lannan, who has struggled throughout his career against the Phillies. Friday's original starter – Roy Oswalt – provides the opposition for Philadelphia, which fell for just the fourth time in 19 games.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, CSN (Philadelphia), MASN (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Roy Oswalt (5-7, 3.84 ERA) vs. Nationals LH John Lannan (8-8, 3.55 ERA).

Oswalt warmed up on Friday before the rain delay effectively ended his evening before it began. The veteran righthander will give it another shot on Saturday. Oswalt earned his first win since June 12 in his last outing, holding Washington to three runs on six hits in seven innings. Oswalt has fared well against the Nationals in his career, going 6-4 with a 3.17 ERA.

Lannan has amassed a putrid 1-11 career mark with a gaudy 5.84 ERA against Philadelphia. Last Saturday, the 26-year-old New York native surrendered seven runs and five walks over three innings in an 11-3 loss. Lannan did record his lone career win against the Phillies on June 1 and has posted a 6-3 mark since that outing. Raul Ibanez (12-for-25, two homers) has fared well against Lannan, but is just 8-for-53 in August.

ABOUT THE NATIONALS (60-63): Jayson Werth ignited the six-run ninth inning on Friday by forcing Madson to toss 11 pitches in his at-bat. The former Phillie eventually recorded a leadoff single to put the wheels in motion on a memorable inning. Werth will try to keep it going against Oswalt, against whom he is 6-for-23 with 10 strikeouts. Mike Morse was originally held out of Friday's lineup due to swelling in his left elbow. Laynce Nix started in his place and went 0-for-3 before Morse entered the contest as a pinch hitter. As for Nix, he is 11-for-23 with three homers versus Oswalt.

ABOUT THE PHILLIES (80-43): Heading into Friday's contest, Ryan Madson had converted all but one of his save opportunities this season. Madson allowed three consecutive singles before Zimmerman's walk-off grand slam emphatically ended his evening. Outfielder Shane Victorino served the second of his two-game suspension for his part in a benches-clearing brawl in San Francisco on Aug. 5. Carlos Ruiz, who is nursing a groin injury, returned after a two-game absence and went 2-for-4 with an RBI single. Lefthander Cole Hamels (shoulder inflammation) is scheduled to throw a light bullpen session on Saturday. After missing his last start, Hamels is expected to rejoin the rotation next week. Veteran reliever Jose Contreras (strained forearm) will throw off the mound on Saturday for the first time since landing on the disabled list.

FINAL PITCH: "He probably won't play the rest of the year, as far as I know. There's only a few days left. You take a chance of aggravating it, and it becomes more of a serious injury." – Nationals manager Dave Johnson, speaking on Bryce Harper. The prized prospect suffered a hamstring injury during Thursday's game in Double-A Harrisburg.