(My Sportsbook) - The Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies will try and move closer to a playoff spot, as the teams continue their four-game series tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

The Nationals trail the NL East Division-leading Atlanta Braves by 4 1/2 games, while Philadelphia is five games out of the top spot. Washington is just one-half game behind Houston in the wild card race, while the Phillies are one game in back of the Astros.

Tuesday's contest was postponed because of rain. The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Thursday. The first game will begin at 1:05 p.m. (et) with Philadelphia's Vicente Padilla facing Tony Armas, Jr. In the nightcap, a 7:05 p.m. (et) start, the Phillies are scheduled to send Cory Lidle to the mound to square off against Ryan Drese.

The Nationals won the opener of this series on Monday, as they defeated the Phillies, 6-3, behind a solid pitching performance from All-Star Livan Hernandez.

Esteban Loaiza gets the call for Washington in today's game. The 33-year-old righty is 1-3 in his last five starts. He is 2-2 with a solid 2.73 ERA for his career against the Phillies. Loaiza is 3-4 with a 4.46 ERA on the road this season.

Philadelphia will counter with right-handed veteran Jon Lieber, who has won two straight starts and has not surrendered more than two earned runs in that stretch.

The 35-year-old Lieber is 7-7 with a 4.06 ERA lifetime against the Washington/Montreal franchise. He is 7-4 with a 5.11 ERA at Citizens Bank Park 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.