Preview: Phillies open up a doubleheader with the Washington Nationals at 1:05 EST

The Philadelphia Phillies have a chance to drop their magic number to four today as they open up a day/night doubleheader with the Washington Nationals.
Bailey Falter (5-4, 4.21 ERA) is set to get the ball in Game 1 for the Phils, going up against Erick Fedde (6-11, 5.34 ERA).
The Phils are coming off an embarrassing series against the Chicago Cubs where they stranded 27 out of 30 runners on base and managed to score just three runs in 3 games.
Luckily, the Miami Marlins are the most clutch team in baseball and cracked a grand slam in the 8th inning of last night’s matchup with the Brewers, pushing Milwaukee to another loss and lowering our Magic Number to 6.
The Phillies are now one up in the loss column against the Brewers. Throw in the tiebreaker and that number jumps to two.
Read more: Where the Phillies currently stand after getting swept by the Cubs >>
If there’s one team that the Phillies should want to play right now, it’s the Nationals, who they have absolutely owned this season.

The Phillies are 13-2 against the Nationals this season. They have a team batting average of .274 with 34 home runs and 98 RBI. Anything less than winning 3-of-4 in DC would be a monumental failure.
Bailey Falter vs. Erick Fedde
Bailey Falter is coming off a tough start vs. Atlanta, where he allowed ten hits and six earned runs in just three and two thirds. Falter has been great on the road for the Phillies, holding a 2-1 record with a 2.87 ERA and 31 Ks. Erick Fedde is 6-11 on the year with a 5.34 ERA, with a 2-5 record at Nationals Park.
Hopefully, the Phillies won’t need it, but Cristopher Sanchez is up as the team’s 29th arm and will be available as a long man out of the bullpen if needed. Darick Hall was also recalled from LHV.
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Bad Weather in DC today and all weekend thanks to Hurricane Ian making its way up the east coast. We’ll see if we get these games in, but it’s not looking pretty.
Phillies Starting Lineup
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Team | Spread | Money Line | Total |
Phillies | -1.5 (-137) | -215 | O8 (-120) |
Nationals | +1.5 (+114) | +180 | U8 (-102) |
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Mandatory Credit: Getty Images