PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — The Philadelphia Phillies look to keep rolling Monday night when they open a four-game series against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.

Phillies (59-53) enter with two straight wins after sweeping a weekend set at Baltimore, capped by an 8-0 victory Sunday. The Nationals (55-58) arrive having lost four in a row, including a 4-2 defeat at Atlanta on Sunday. The forecast calls for rain and a temperature of 82 degrees at first pitch.

Washington’s best chance may rest with right-hander Cade Cavalli, who has delivered six innings and allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last five starts. He has 28 strikeouts over that stretch, including eight in a win at Colorado and nine at Oakland. Cavalli took the loss Sunday in Atlanta despite allowing two earned runs in six innings.

For Philadelphia, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz has been a key producer. He homered and drove in three runs in Sunday’s 8-0 victory over Baltimore and has hits in seven of his past eight games. De La Cruz also homered against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 22, showing the kind of power that has boosted the Phillies’ lineup.

Philadelphia has owned the season series, winning five of seven meetings. The Phillies took three of four from Washington in late June, then captured two of three at home in late March and April. Washington’s lone blowout in the series was a 13-2 win in Philadelphia on March 30.

The matchup offers contrasting recent stretches. Washington was swept in four games at Atlanta, while Philadelphia outscored Baltimore 13-2 over the weekend and allowed no runs in the final two games.

The Interstat game simulator projects a narrow 4-3 Nationals victory, but Interstat’s ELO model gives Philadelphia a 62.1 percent probability to win. Oddsmakers have installed the Phillies as a -1.5 run-line favorite, with the over-under set at 9.5.

The series continues Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before Washington returns home to host Cincinnati, and Philadelphia plays host to Toronto. Both teams will look to build momentum during this stretch, but Monday’s opener could hinge on how Cavalli handles a Phillies lineup that has been producing up and down the order.

If the rain arrives, it could affect both offenses and put an even greater premium on starting pitching. Washington will hope Cavalli can extend his run of quality starts, while Philadelphia will lean on De La Cruz and a bullpen that threw two scoreless innings Sunday.

The Phillies are seeking their third straight win and another step forward in the NL East race. The Nationals are trying to stop a slide and reclaim some ground in the wild-card picture.