By: Brandon Apter, contributor 
Philadelphia, PA - This afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies (24-18) will look to get back on track with some fundamentals against the Braves (11-30). Both the Phils offense and defense had lapses on Friday night, with Maikel Franco committing two errors and the team 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Aaron Nola had another strong outing last night, but was tagged for the loss. He allowed five runs, two earned, on seven hits over seven innings on the mound. He struck out six and allowed home runs to Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis. Freeman hit two, two-run homers in last night's game.
Today, Adam Morgan will aim to dupilicate his success from an earlier start against the Braves this season. Atlanta will send Williams Perez to the hill.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Atlanta Braves (11-30) | Philadelphia Phillies (24-18) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Williams Perez | LHP | Adam Morgan | ||
| (1-1, 4.78 ERA) | (1-1, 6.41 ERA) | ||||
In his four starts since joining the Phillies this season, Adam Morgan has gone beyond five innings just once. That start came against Atlanta, the team he squares off against today. Back on May 10th at Turner Field, Morgan tossed seven innings of one-run ball, scattering just four hits in seven innings, striking out four. His most recent start came in a 9-4 loss to the Reds, where he lasted just 3.2 innings after allowing seven runs on eight hits.
Braves starter Williams Perez got called up to the Braves on May 11th after Atlanta dealt Jhoulys Chacin to the Angels. That night, Perez spun a gem against the Phillies, leading the Braves to a 5-1 win. The 25-year-old right-hander held the Phils to one run over eight innings, throwing just 85 pitches. Like Morgan, Perez didn't have luck in his following start. On May 16th against the Pirates, he allowed six runs on nine hits over six innings on the mound.
Starting Lineups:
| Atlanta Braves (11-30) | Philadelphia Phillies (24-18) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 3B | Chase D'Arnaud | R | 1 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 2 | 2B | Gordon Beckham | R | 2 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S |
| 3 | 1B | Freddie Freeman | L | 3 | 2B | Andres Blanco | S |
| 4 | LF | Jeff Francoeur | R | 4 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 5 | RF | Nick Markakis | L | 5 | 1B | Ryan Howard | L |
| 6 | C | Tyler Flowers | R | 6 | C | Carlos Ruiz | R |
| 7 | CF | Ender Inciarte | L | 7 | LF | Tyler Goeddel | R |
| 8 | SS | Erick Aybar | S | 8 | P | Adam Morgan | L |
| 9 | P | Williams Perez | R | 9 | RF | David Lough | L |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 3:05 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Adam Morgan has made 20 Major League starts. Five of them have come against the Braves. He's 1-3 with a 3.24 ERA against them. He has no more than two starts against any other team.
- In May 2015, the Phillies posted a record of 11-18. This May, they are already 10-8, with 10 more games to go before June hits.
- In three of his last four starts against the Phillies, Williams Perez is 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA.
- Freddie Freeman is hitting .471 (8-for-17) with four homers and six RBI's against the Phillies this season.
- The Braves have taken six of their last eight against the Phillies.
- Last night's loss put the Phillies record on their current nine-game homestand to 4-3.
- Ryan Howard is hitless in his last 12 at-bats and is hitting .095 (4-for-42) in May. Tommy Joseph has as many hits, four) since being called up as Howard does in the entire month of May.
- Aron Nola is only the third starter to pitch at least seven innings in 12 or more of his first 22 games since 1999, joining Tim Hudson and Felix Hernandez, per Ryan Lawrence of Philly Voice.
What's Next:
- Friday, May 12th, 2016: vs. Atlanta, 1:35 p.m.
- Philadelphia, PA – Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Jerad Eickhoff (1-6, 4.44 ERA) vs. TBD
- TV: CSN, MLB.TV; Radio: 94 WIP
