(My Sportsbook) - The Washington Nationals go for their fifth straight victory tonight, as they visit the Philadelphia Phillies for the second contest of a four-game series.

The Nationals trail the NL East Division-leading Atlanta Braves by five games, while Philadelphia is 5 1/2 games out of the top spot. Washington is just one game behind Houston in the wild card race, while the Phillies are 1 1/2 games in back of the Astros.

In the opener of this set, Preston Wilson belted a pair of two-run homers to lead the Nationals to a 6-3 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Brian Schneider and Nick Johnson also homered for Washington, which swept Colorado over the weekend and has captured five of its last seven games overall. Livan Hernandez (14-5) tossed eight innings and allowed two runs on five hits with three strikeouts for the victory.

Pat Burrell drove in two runs in Monday's loss for the Phillies. Brett Myers (10-6) allowed five runs on six hits in six innings of work with five strikeouts and two walks.

Washington righthander Ryan Drese will try and halt a personal five-game losing streak. The last time he picked up a win was on July 8 against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Drese is 1-1 with a 10.57 ERA for his career against the Phillies. The 29- year-old hurler is just 3-8 with a 7.26 ERA on the road this season.

The Phillies will counter with veteran Cory Lidle, who has lost four of his last five decisions. He is a perfect 5-0 with a 2.54 ERA lifetime against the Washington/Montreal franchise. The 33-year-old Lidle is 3-5 with a 5.89 ERA at home this year.

Washington, which is in the midst of its season-high 13-game road trip, is 5-2 on their current swing. The Nationals, who will visit the New York Mets for three games after playing Philadelphia, are 29-33 on the road this season.

The Phillies are 36-26 at home this season. After the Washington series, Philadelphia will host the Pittsburgh Pirates for three contests.