Phillies at Cardinals
All Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard needed was a visit to his hometown to break out of a brutal slump. Howard's solo homer accounted for the lone run Tuesday and put the visiting Phillies in position to notch their fourth straight series win in Wednesday's rubber match against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Howard was in an 0-for-12 rut with nine strikeouts before his decisive blast as Philadelphia rebounded from a 10-3 thrashing in Monday's series opener to improve to 10-2 over its last 12 games. Pitching has been the difference for the Phillies, who have won seven of eight despite not scoring more than four runs in that span. After clubbing five homers Monday night, the St. Louis' offense returned to its doldrums, held to one run or fewer for the fourth time during its 1-5 slide. The Cardinals' Mike Leake, the marquee free-agent signing during the offseason, remains in search of his first win as he opposes Adam Morgan in the series finale.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies LH Adam Morgan (0-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Mike Leake (0-3, 5.83)
Morgan was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take the rotation spot of Charlie Morton, who is out for the season after undergoing surgery for a torn hamstring. Morgan struck out seven and was charged with three runs on five hits over five innings in a no-decision against Cleveland. The 26-year-old Florida native was 5-7 with a 4.48 ERA in 15 starts as a rookie last year, but he beat the Cardinals with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball.
Leake, who won 64 games over his first six seasons - 62 with Cincinnati, matched his season high with seven innings but surrendered a pair of home runs in a 5-4 loss to Washington. Leake has permitted at least four runs in each of his five starts and faces an opponent that he has struggled against over his career, logging a 2-3 mark and 6.00 ERA in eight starts against Philadelphia. Howard is 7-for-21 with a pair of homers and Maikel Franco is 4-for-6 versus Leake.
WALK-OFFS
1. Phillies RHP Jeanmar Gomez is 9-for-9 in save opportunities, including five in the past eight games.
2. Cardinals C Yadier Molina has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games.
3. Phillies CF Odubel Herrera also had at least one hit in 13 of the last 14 contests.