Nationals stepping up Phillies rivalry

The Washington Nationals are taking a somewhat provocative approach to the the Phillies series that begins Friday night.

You'll recall that the burgeoning Phillies-Nationals rivalry began in earnest in when Phillies, in essence, began taking over Nationals Park on a regular basis, at times to distressing effect.

Then came the Nats' withering rejoinder: as part of the "Take Back the Park" campaign, no tickets would be sold to those marked by the Scarlet Number (i.e., a Philadelphia-area zip code).

Now comes yet another shot across the bow in advance of Friday night's hostilities. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Gelb tweets this image:



And Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post tweets this one:



Our man Trent has already tabbed Friday night's tilt as one to watch, in large part because of Stephen Strasburg. But these percolating hostilities -- and perhaps lethal doses of Natitude -- provide another reason to tune in.

Developing!