It is probably safe to assume that no one could have predicted the current one-through-five of the National League East. Now, on August 11, the best-in-baseball Washington Nationals (70-43) are set to play the second in a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks (57-56) after last night’s 9-1 rout led by Stephen Strasburg, who won his 13th game of the year. The Nationals will send Edwin Jackson to the mound to take on Arizona lefty Wade Miley.

A high pitch count forced Jackson (6-7, 3.56 ERA) out of his previous start in Houston after pitching just 5.1 innings. Batter after batter, Jackson seemed to fall behind in the count, racking up 106 pitches. Still, he managed to give up just two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out eight. He has been solid, though, in his last four starts, giving up just three runs or less in each.

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Jackson has had his share of starts at Chase Field and carries a 1-2 record with a 3.90 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched against his former team.

Miley (12-7, 2.85 ERA), who was hurt by a lack of run support in his last outing, is coming off of a loss in Pittsburgh despite six innings of work that saw the Pirates manage just one unearned run on six hits and a walk. He struck out two. Miley, who will feature a slider that tops out in the low 80s, missed the Nationals when the Diamondbacks visited Washington in May.

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Miley’s only career start against Washington came in 2011, a win in which the lefty blanked the Nationals through six innings on five hits and four walks while striking out four.

Bryce Harper, who is batting just .143 (6-for-42, 13 strikeouts) over the last 14 days, will sit for the second time in three days – this time to give Tyler Moore a rare start against a tough lefty. The Nationals look to notch their eighth consecutive win.