Nola, Phillies seek bounce-back effort against Cardinals

Matt Rappa

May 3 2016

By: Matt Rappa, managing editor

ST. LOUIS — The Philadelphia Phillies (15-11) will look to bounce back from a seven-run defeat in the series opener — their first loss in eight days — as they send right-hander Aaron Nola to the mound against right-hander Michael Wacha and the St. Louis Cardinals (13-13) Tuesday evening at Busch Stadium.

Starting Pitching Matchup:

Philadelphia Phillies (15-11)			St. Louis Cardinals (13-13)
RHP	Aaron Nola		RHP	Michael Wacha
RHP	(1-2, 3.55 ERA)		RHP	(2-1, 3.07 ERA)

Aaron Nola — Age: 22;

Last Start: April 28, 2016, at WSN: ND, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 7 SO
Career vs. STL: N/A

Nola will take the mound for his third consecutive start on the road, as he seeks to even his win-loss record at 2-2. He has thrown for a sub-one WHIP ratio in four of his five starts this season, and has struck out 37 batters in 33 innings.

Michael Wacha — Age: 24;

Last Start: April 28, 2016, at ARI: L, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO, 2 HR
Career vs. PHI: (1-1), 2 G, 10.2 IP, 14 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 3 BB, 11 SO, 7.59 ERA

Wacha last faced the Phillies on June 21, 2015, at Citizens Bank Park. In the losing decision, he allowed five earned runs on a walk and eight hits — three of which were doubles — spanning five innings and 81 pitches.

Starting Lineups:

Philadelphia Phillies (15-11)				St. Louis Cardinals (13-13)
	Position	Player	Bats		Position	Player	Bats
1	CF	Odubel Herrera	L	1	3B	Matt Carpenter	L
2	SS	Freddy Galvis	S	2	RF	Stephen Piscotty	R
3	3B	Maikel Franco	R	3	LF	Matt Holliday	R
4	1B	Ryan Howard	L	4	1B	Matt Adams	L
5	C	Cameron Rupp	R	5	C	Yadier Molina	R
6	LF	Darin Ruf	R	6	CF	Randal Grichuk	R
7	2B	Cesar Hernandez	S	7	2B	Kolten Wong	L
8	P	Aaron Nola	R	8	SS	Aledmys Diaz	R
9	RF	Peter Bourjos	R	9	P	Michael Wacha	R

Broadcast Information:

First pitch: 8:15 p.m.
TV: CSN
Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Standings

Game Notes:

In 35 career games at Busch Stadium, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is batting .331/.456/.623. The St. Louis, Missouri, native has five doubles, 11 home runs, 27 walks, 37 strikeouts and 39 runs-batted-in over 160 plate appearances at the 10-year-old venue.
In 31 career plate appearances against Wacha, active members of the Phillies are batting .276/.300/.345 with two extra-base hits, six runs-batted-in and seven strikeouts.

Cardinals infielders Jedd Gyorko and Ruben Tejada combined for eight plate appearances last season against Nola with the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, respectively. They each have a hit off of Nola, with Tejada's being an inside-the-park two-run home run on Sept. 2, 2015 — outfielder Domonic Brown's last game in a Phillies uniform.