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Ouch.  A sweep at the hands of the Nationals definitely hurts.  A series that every Marlins fan looked at on the calendar and thought awesome, easy wins to help us out in the wild card and division.  That didn’t happen, but the Marlins need to leave that series behind if they want to have any chance of making the playoffs.  The Phillies have not been kind to the Marlins this year by winning seven of the nine games played, but there is no better way to get back on track than beating the team that’s ahead of you.  The Marlins come into tonight 55-33, 7GB in the NL East, and 5GB in the wild card race.  The Marlins do catch a small break in missing newly acquired Cliff Lee, but do get to square off against their arch-nemesis Jamie Moyer.  Taking two of three from the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park would be a huge accomplishment for the struggling Marlins.

The Phillies sit atop the NL East with a comfortable seven game lead at 61-45.  The Phillies just completed a three game series with the Rockies where they took two of three.  After a slow start to the season, Jimmy Rollins is starting to heat up.  In the past seven days, Rollins is hitting a robust .385 (10 for 26).  The lefty heavy lineup will look to feast on the well-rested Marlins bullpen and add on to their division lead.

Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups:

8/7/09, 7:35 PM ET

Ricky Nolasco, RHP (7-7, 5.00)

Joe Blanton, RHP (7-5, 4.02)

Marlins: Ricky Nolasco will look to get the club back on track.  Nolasco pitched a dominant seven innings versus the Cubs his last time out.  Nolasco gave up only one run on four hits in the no decision.

Phillies: The “Bulldog” Joe Blanton will take the mound for the Phillies.  Blanton is looking to bounce back after taking the loss his last time out where he gave up two earned runs over seven innings to the Giants.

8/8/09, 7:05 PM ET

Sean West, LHP (3-4, 4.91)

Cole Hamels, LHP (7-6, 4.68)

Marlins: Although it has not been officially announced, it looks like Sean West will be in line to face-off against the Phillies on Saturday.  For West it will be his second stint in the Majors this year after being sent down back on July 11th.  In West’s last three starts for AA Jacksonville, he has thrown 18 innings, giving up 21 hits, seven earned runs, and two walks while striking out 12.

Phillies: Cole Hamels is still looking for consistency this year.  After a string of good starts, Hamels was shellacked for seven runs over five innings.  Before his last outing, Hamels was 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA over three starts.

8/9/09, 1:35 PM ET

“Game of the Series”

Josh Johnson, RHP (10-2, 2.98)

Jamie Moyer, LHP (10-8, 5.55)

Forget about the history.  Everyone else and their mother hit Jamie Moyer except the Marlins.  This needs to change on Sunday when Ace Josh Johnson takes the hill for the Marlins.  The Fish have had much more success against Moyer at Citizens Bank Park and will need to knock him out early.  Just win.

Marlins: Josh Johnson’s last start was bizarre.  After retiring 20 straight Nationals, JJ went into the 8th inning with a 4-0 Marlins lead and continued to load the bases for a Ronnie Belliard bases clearing double.  His streak of 18 games with three earned runs or less has ended with his no decision against Washington.

Notable Phillies vs. Johnson:

Ryan Howard - 7-19, 2B, 2HR, 5RBI, .38

Chase Utley - 5-16, RBI, .313

Jimmy Rollins  - 5-20, 2B, RBI, .250

Phillies: Jamie Freaking Moyer was hit hard against the Rockies his last time out, giving up six earned runs over five innings.

Notable Marlins vs. Moyer:

John Baker - 3-7, 2B, .429

Jorge Cantu - 8-26, 3RBI, 4BB, .308

Wes Helms - 6-13, 2B, 2HR, 5 RBI, .462 (Start me please)

Hanley Ramirez - 12-39, 3B, 4HR, 6RBI, .308

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Fresh off the All-Star break the Marlins get right back to business in a big series against the NL East leading Philadelphia Phillies (48-38).  The Marlins (46-44) sit four games back from first place and can make up some serious ground right away.  The Marlins have struggled thus far versus the Phillies going 2-4 on the season, with the Phillies getting a series sweep back in May at Philadelphia. The four game set will kick off at Land Shark Stadium and both teams will have a bit of a different look since last seeing each other. As of today the Phillies have added Pedro Martinez to the roster and then proceeded to place him on the disabled list with a mild shoulder strain. For the Marlins, they have added some bullpen depth calling up Luis Ayala from AAA, and signing veteran free agent Brendan Donnelly. If the Marlins plan on catching the Phillies atop the NL East they will need strong performances from the starting rotation. With that, let’s preview the upcoming pitching matchups.

7/16/09, 7:10 PM ET

Jamie Moyer, LHP (8-6, 5.99) vs. Chris Volstad, RHP (6-8, 4.44)

The Phillies will send the Marlin killer to mound in Jamie Moyer. Moyer has gone an incredible 12-2 with a 3.06 ERA in his career against the Marlins, but is 1-1 on the year against the Fish going 6 innings and surrendering four earned runs in the losing performance back on May 25^th.

The Marlins will counter with Chris Volstad who is fresh off the best performance of his career. Volstad managed to shut down the Giants Wednesday by throwing his first complete game shutout while striking out six and allowing no free passes. Volstad will need to be just as sharp this time around  against a much stronger Phillies lineup.

7/17/09, 7:10 PM ET

Cole Hamels, LHP (5-5, 4.87) vs. Ricky Nolasco, RHP (6-7, 5.76)

The Phillies hope that the All-Star break was kind to Cole Hamels who has been rocky this year after a stellar 2008 season. The southpaw was in line for the loss giving up five earned runs against the Pirates last time out, but ended up receiving a no decision due to a huge 9^th inning rally by the Phillies.

The Marlins are hoping Ricky Nolasco forgot about his last outing in Arizona where he was tagged for seven earned runs while striking out eight and walking one receiving his first loss since June 7^th. Before the loss Nolasco was riding a four game winning streak while posting a 0.96 ERA.

7/18/09, 7:10 PM ET

Joe Blanton, RHP (6-4, 4.44) vs. Josh Johnson, RHP (8-2, 2.74)

Blanton looks to make it three straight wins in a row on Saturday with a win against the Fish. Blanton has been exceptional this year for the Phillies with seven of his ten quality starts coming in his last nine games. In his last outing versus the Pirates he surrendered just one run over 7 1/3 innings.

The Marlins Ace, Josh Johnson, will look to Halt Blanton’s chances at a three game streak by continuing his dominance on the mound. Johnson looks to pick up right where he left off in Arizona where he picked up a win going 6 2/3 allowing just one run. The All-Star has faced the Phillies once this year receiving a no decision while allowing no runs over 7 innings, and is 3-1 lifetime against the Phillies with a 3.66 ERA.

7/19/09, 1:10 PM ET

J.A. Happ, LHP (6-0, 2.90) vs. Andrew Miller, LHP (3-4, 4.50)

The Phillies wish they could send Happ to the mound every day with the way that he has been performing. Happ has yet to experience a loss this year and is currently on a streak of five quality starts in a row. A dominating effort his last time out against the Pirates, he went 7 innings  giving up a run. This will be Happ’s first career start against the Marlins.

Miller is another Marlins pitcher who would like to forget about his last outing in Arizona. Miller lasted just 2 2/3 innings and was battered for six runs, two being earned. The tall left hander looks to turn his career numbers around against the Phillies, he is 0-2 lifetime with a 4.05 ERA.