The Nationals didn’t do much so far this week, with a 2-game series in Houston and off days on Monday and Thursday. There wasn’t many things to watch at 7:05pm, so we were either redirected to Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! or just nothing at all on Monday and Thursday.

But when the Nats played Houston on Tuesday and Wednesday, it was fun to watch. They outscored them 11-3, crushed their pitching staff, and native Houstonian Anthony Rendon did some serious damage against what probably was his favorite team when he was my age.

What really matters now is the series between the Nats and their division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, who sit one slot behind the Nationals in 4th place. If the Nats happen to get swept at Citizens Bank Park this weekend, the Nats would fall back into 4th place, a spot they haven’t been in since the 2011 season. For the fans of the Nats, that would be terrible, and then they wouldn’t play them again until June 3-5 to redeem themselves.

The Nationals are facing Cliff Lee, who always has great pitching performances but loses, A.J. Burnett who used to be very good, and Cole Hamels who is 0-2 and his target (Bryce Harper’s back) is on the Disabled List.  So what do I  expect for the series?

Bottom Line-  The Nationals basically can beat the Phillies on paper but the way they’ve been playing against good teams like the Braves, Cardinals, and even Angels, I’m not certain that the Nats can win the series, but I think they can. I am predicting a 2-out-of-3 game series win by the Nationals.  I think they may lose on Friday but take the weekend games.  It seems to me that the teams from Pennsylvania, the Phillies and the Pirates, have a tendency to beat the Nats in the first game and lose in the second game, third game and maybe the 4th.  That’s just how I remember things.

 #PhlattenThePhillies

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