On Aug. 6, Scott Mathieson met John Maine in a game that couldn't have gone much worse on either end for the Phillies.

On Thursday afternoon, the two rookies will meet again in the finale of a four-game set at Citizens Bank Park.

Philadelphia has outscored New York 27-4 so far in this series, and will be going for the sweep thanks to timely hits and a red-hot starting pitching staff that has been just about the best the Phillies have had to offer this year.

Now Mathieson will have to keep the latter going.

The 22-year-old, who allowed seven runs in one inning in that Aug. 6 matchup, comes in 1-3, having struggled mightily in his last two starts. Including his last start against the Reds, Mathieson has allowed 13 runs in his last seven innings.

The right-hander has admitted to his worries about walking batters, which may be affecting his performance at the Major League level.

Maine, on the other hand, has been one of the hottest pitchers in the National League. Including his six scoreless innings against the Phillies, the right-hander racked up a 26-inning scoreless streak, which was broken in his last start against the Nationals.

Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP John Maine (2-3, 2.64 ERA)
Until his four-run outing last time out in Washington, Maine's ERA had dropped after each of his seven starts.

PHI: RHP Scott Mathieson (1-3, 6.48 ERA)
Mathieson has thrown over 100 pitches in just one of his six career starts.

Player to watch
Chase Utley is 2-for-3 in his career against Maine. By comparison, David Dellucci is 1-for-6 and the rest of the Phillies are a combined 0-for-15.

On the Internet
 MLB.TV
 Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
CSN

On radio
WPHT 1210

Up next
• Friday: Nationals (RHP Tony Armas, 7-8, 4.72) at Phillies (RHP Brett Myers, 8-5, 4.12), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Nationals (RHP Ramon Ortiz, 9-10, 4.88) at Phillies (LHP Cole Hamels, 5-6, 4.50), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Nationals (RHP Pedro Astacio, 3-2, 4.64) at Phillies (LHP Randy Wolf, 1-0, 4.35), 1:35 p.m. ET