Philadelphia @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 20, 2011 ) Philadelphia 5, Washington 0

THE STORY: Roy Halladay was denied his National League-leading 16th victory when he surrendered a two-run double in the ninth inning on Tuesday. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner will look to "rebound" from his career-best 14-strikeout effort when he pitches Sunday's rubber match of the three-game series against the Washington Nationals. Philadelphia will vie for its 17th win in 21 contests when it tests the mettle of Chien-Ming Wang, who will start for the Nationals.

TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, WPHL (Philadelphia), MASN (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Roy Halladay (15-5, 2.53 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Chien-Ming Wang (2-2, 4.22 ERA)

Halladay saw his four-game winning streak come to an end with the 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. On Sunday, the 34-year-old will face a favorable opponent in the Nationals, against whom he has posted a stellar 11-1 career mark. Halladay has defeated Washington on all three occasions this season, tossing seven strong innings in both May starts while going the distance on April 13. All told, Halladay has won his last 10 starts against the Nationals franchise. Pitching with the Toronto Blue Jays, Halladay's only loss came against the then-Montreal Expos on June 28, 2002.

After struggling in his first two starts following a shoulder injury, Wang showed some grit by collecting victories in his last two outings. The 31-year-old Taiwan native permitted four runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings on Tuesday, but escaped with a 6-4 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds. Wang has made a relief appearance against the Phillies, but he'll make his first start against them on Sunday.

ABOUT THE PHILLIES (81-43): Philadelphia hasn't dropped a road series since losing two of three to the Seattle Mariners from June 17-19. After squandering a four-run lead in the series opener on Friday, the Phillies cruised to their 15th shutout of the season with a 5-0 victory on Saturday. Raul Ibanez is struggling in August, collecting just eight hits in 53 at-bats. The veteran is 5-for-24 versus Wang, but he is the only current Phillie to have gone deep against him. Carlos Ruiz collected a pair of hits for the second straight game after missing two contests with a groin injury.

ABOUT THE NATIONALS (60-64): Ryan Zimmerman is on quite the roll. After his walk-off grand slam capped a six-run uprising in the ninth inning on Friday, Zimmerman collected three hits during Saturday's shutout loss. He is 10-for-20 with three homers in his last five games. Like most hitters, however, Zimmerman has struggled against Halladay. He is 3-for-12 in his career versus the veteran hurler. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez took 25 swings off a tee on Saturday and didn't feel any pain in his oblique. He is expected to repeat the feat on both Sunday and Monday, although manager Davey Johnson isn't planning on seeing the veteran return in September.

FINAL PITCH: Phillies southpaw Cole Hamels tossed a light bullpen session on Saturday. Hamels, who is plagued by inflammation in his left shoulder, did not report any setbacks after throwing roughly 25 pitches. The 2008 World Series MVP is expected to return to action against the Florida Marlins on Friday.