By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Behind ace RHP Aaron Nola, the Philadelphia Phillies (23-16) will kick off their seven-game homestand starting Monday evening, as they open their four-game series opposite the Milwaukee Brewers (24-18) and RHP Freddy Peralta at Citizens Bank Park. Prior to the game, the Phillies placed RHP Edubray Ramos on the injured list (shoulder stiffness) and recalled LHP Austin Davis.
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The Phillies return home after going 4-2 on their recent six-game Missouri road trip opposite the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals. Earning the winning decision in Sunday's 6-1 victory over the Royals, southpaw Cole Irvin became the first Phillies pitcher to go seven innings in his MLB debut since Ben Lively in June 2017; he allowed just one run on five hits, one walk and five strikeouts spanning seven innings, 93 pitches and 64 strikes.
After winning seven straight games from May 3 to May 10, the Brewers dropped two of their most recent games, both against the Cubs, including falling 2-1 in 15 innings on Saturday at Wrigley Field. The Phillies, meanwhile, have won four of their last five games, outscoring opponents 29-2 in the victories.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Milwaukee Brewers (24-18) | Philadelphia Phillies (23-16) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Freddy Peralta | RHP | Aaron Nola | ||
| (2-1, 6.75 ERA) | (3-0, 4.57 ERA) | ||||
RHP Freddy Peralta, Age: 22
- Career vs. PHI: N/A
- Career at Citizens Bank Park: N/A
Peralta will make his 20th career start, his first against the Phillies. The right-hander appeared out of the bullpen in his most recent appearance, after the Brewers used Adrian Houser as an opener for two innings against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. The strategy worked, as Peralta tossed five scoreless innings en route to a 6-0 Brewers win. Peralta is 1-1 with a 8.31 ERA and .298/.377/.574 opposing slash when used as a starter in 2019.
RHP Aaron Nola, Age: 25
- Career vs. MIL: 3-0, 2.37 ERA, 5 G, 5 GS, 30 1/3 IP, 31 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 HR, 12 BB, 36 SO, 1.418 WHIP
- Career at Citizens Bank Park: 25-14, 3.14 ERA, 51 G, 51 GS, 320 2/3 IP, 273 H, 120 R, 112 ER, 39 HR, 89 BB, 366 SO, 1.129 WHIP
Over his last three starts, Nola has posted a 1.47 ERA, allowing only one run in each, spanning 18 1/3 innings, while striking out 17 of his 75 batters faced.
Starting Lineups:
| Milwaukee Brewers (24-18) | Philadelphia Phillies (23-16) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Lorenzo Cain | R | 1 | LF | Andrew McCutchen | R |
| 2 | RF | Christian Yelich | L | 2 | SS | Jean Segura | R |
| 3 | 2B | Mike Moustakas | L | 3 | RF | Bryce Harper | L |
| 4 | C | Yasmani Grandal | S | 4 | 1B | Rhys Hoskins | R |
| 5 | 1B | Eric Thames | L | 5 | C | J.T. Realmuto | R |
| 6 | 3B | Travis Shaw | L | 6 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 7 | SS | Orlando Arcia | R | 7 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 8 | P | Freddy Peralta | R | 8 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 9 | LF | Ben Gamel | L | 9 | P | Aaron Nola | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP, ESPN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Monday's game will feature two of the top-four teams in the National League.
- The Phillies have lost seven of their last eight series openers, but have gone 13-4 in the 17 other games of those series.
- The Phillies and Brewers will square off for the first time in 2019; the clubs split their six meetings last season, taking two of three in each road ballpark.
So the Phillies starting rotation has been excellent recently:
Aaron Nola: 1.47 ERA in last three starts
Zach Eflin: Two complete games in last three starts
Jerad Eickhoff: 1.50 ERA in 2019
Cole Irvin; 1 ER across seven innings in ML Debut
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) May 12, 2019
- Phillies' Scott Kingery to Begin Rehab Assignment on Monday
- Reigning National League MVP Christian Yelich is 7-for-18 in his career opposite Nola with a double, triple and home run each, along with three RBI, one wlak and four strikeouts. The only Phillie to have previously opposed Peralta is fellow former MVP outfielder Bryce Harper, who is 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and two strikeouts (click to expand).
What's Next:
- Tuesday, May 14, 2019: vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 7:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pa.
- RHP Brandon Woodruff (5-1, 4.25 ERA) vs. RHP Jerad Eickhoff (2-1, 1.50 ERA)
- TV: NBCSP; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
