Phillies at Cardinals
A return to Busch Stadium was all the St. Louis Cardinals needed to change their fortunes after surrendering 25 runs during a season-high four-game losing streak. The Cardinals aim to ride the momentum of a five-hit shutout in the opener against the Philadelphia Phillies into the second contest of their three-game series on Tuesday.
Yadier Molina and Paul DeJong each belted a two-run homer and Matt Carpenter also went deep as St. Louis opened its seven-game homestand with a 6-0 romp on Monday. Molina has hit safely in 11 straight home contests, DeJong is 5-for-10 with two homers, four RBIs and three runs scored in his last three games and Carpenter is 6-for-14 with three RBIs in that same stretch. The Phillies had scored 48 runs en route to winning six of eight contests before being limited to just five singles in the opener of a six-game road trip through the Show Me State. Offseason acquisition Bryce Harper hasn't been showing much of late, going 0-for-4 on Monday to fall to 3-for-26 with 10 strikeouts in his last seven games.
TV: 7:45 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NBCS Philadelphia, FS Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Aaron Nola (2-0, 5.06 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Dakota Hudson (2-2, 4.80)
Nola has answered a sluggish start by allowing two earned runs in his last 15 innings, albeit with a pair of no-decisions in his last two starts. The 25-year-old has kept the ball in the park in his last two outings after surrendering seven homers in his previous four. Dexter Fowler (4-for-7) and Marcell Ozuna (6-for-19, two homers) have gotten their licks in on Nola, who sports a 2-2 record with a 2.84 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in fourth career encounters with St. Louis.
Hudson had his two-start winning streak halted on Thursday despite yielding two runs - one earned - and four hits (all singles) in six innings of a 2-1 setback at Washington. The 24-year-old tasted defeat for the first time since March 30 despite registering a career-high seven strikeouts. Hudson has yet to face Philadelphia in his career, although he walked Harper in his lone at-bat against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Philadelphia 1B Rhys Hoskins' eight-game hitting streak came to an end following an 0-for-4 performance in the series opener.
2. Ozuna is 2-for-16 with four strikeouts in his last four contests.
3. The Phillies have lost 12 of their last 15 games in St. Louis.