Opposite dugout: Mackanin has eager Phillies playing better than expected

Manager: Pete Mackinin (2nd season)

Record: 9-10

Last 10 games: 6-4

Who to watch: 3B Maikel Franco (.295 with 5 HR, 13 RBIs), 1B Ryan Howard (4 HR, 9 RBIs), CF Odubel Herrera (.286/.432/.429), RHP Vince Velasquez (2-1, 0.93 ERA), RHP Aaron Nola (1-2, 4.50 ERA), RHP Jeanmar Gomez (2.45 ERA, 4 saves)

Season series vs. Nationals: 1-2

Pitching probables:

April 26: RHP Vince Velasquez vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 7:05 p.m., MASN
April 27: RHP Jeremy Hellickson vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASN
April 28: RHP Aaron Nola vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 4:05 p.m., MASN

Inside the Phillies:

Raise your hand if you assumed that the Phillies would be battling the Braves for the ignominy of occupying the National League East cellar as April drew to a close. If your hand isn't pointing skyward, you're probably playing fast and loose with the truth. The Phillies are one of the surprises of the early going, firmly cemented in third place in the NL East and playing with a lot more confidence under Pete Mackanin than they ever did under Ryne Sandberg, whose resignation last season opened the door for Mackinin to get his first full-time managerial job. As the Phillies make their first visit to D.C. this season, it's worth noting that Mackanin has some history with the franchise he'll battle; his career season came in 1975, when he posted career highs of 12 homers, 44 RBIs and 130 games for the Expos. A hungry manager bent on proving he can handle the job and a team full of young, eager players have been a good match in the land of liberty and cheesesteaks. Mackanin's next win will be the 100th of his career.

How are the Phillies doing it? Certainly not by the numbers. A cursory check of the stats reveals that the Pfightins rank in the bottom half of the majors in all key offensive categories, and aside from striking out a major league-best 195 hitters and keeping opponents to a .242 on-base percentage, there's not much in the numbers that pegs the Phillies as a threat. But games are played on diamond, not paper (or computer screens), and they've done OK there.

Third baseman Maikel Franco is turning into a dangerous hitter, and it's scary to think what he might accomplish if there were more protection around him in a lineup largely devoid of power. In Philadelphia's weekend series at Milwaukee, Franco went 7-for-13 with three homers and seven RBIs. Center fielder Odubel Herrera is a career .281/.361/.469 hitter at Nationals Park and slashing a cool .286/.432/.429 this season while bouncing around the top three spots in the batting order. First baseman Ryan Howard may be slogging along below the Mendoza line, but he's hit four homers this season and has hit 42 homers and driven in 128 runs against the Nationals in his career. But Howard is now part of a supporting cast that has to carry a lot of the load offensively.

Vince Velasquez starts Tuesday and the Nats had better be wary of an aggressive approach at the plate against the right-hander, who has fanned 29 in 19 1/3 innings (including a 16-strikeout performance against the Padres on April 14). Velasquez started his season with 15 shutout innings before his most recent start, when he yielded five runs (two earned) versus the Mets on April 19. He relies heavily on a fastball that tops out at 97 mph and has never faced the Nationals in his career. Wednesday starter Jeremy Hellickson was acquired in a trade with the Diamondbacks to eat up innings and give younger pitchers a chance to develop in the minors. So far, the right-hander has reached the sixth inning only once in four starts. He's 0-2 with an 8.78 ERA in three lifetime starts versus the Nationals. Righty Aaron Nola starts Thursday's getaway day game and is coming off his best of four starts this season, seven innings of four-hit ball with one run allowed, two walks and seven strikeouts against the Brewers on April 22. This will be his 18th career start and fourth against the Nationals, against whom he is 0-1 with a 7.80 ERA. In each of his previous three starts versus Washington, he's pitched five innings, including an April 16 outing during which he was tagged for seven runs.

For the time being, unheralded right-hander Jeanmar Gomez is the closer. He's gone 4-for-4 in save opportunities and won two games. Righties David Hernandez and Andrew Bailey are experienced hands, but the rest of the 'pen is stocked with mostly unknown quantities, guys who throw hard but are prone to allowing a lot of damage, too. If the Nats can get into the bullpen early, it's a good sign.