Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Nick Pivetta is struggling so far in June. He will try to turn his month around against the slumping St. Louis Cardinals.

The Phillies and Cardinals open a three-game set on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park.

The teams are meeting for the second time in a month after splitting a four-game set in May at Busch Stadium.

Pivetta (4-6 Adidas Bo Horvat Jersey , 4.25 ERA) has an 8.36 ERA and opponents are hitting .352 with a .940 OPS against him through three June starts. The 25-year-old had a 3.26 ERA and .230 batting average against during his first 11 starts of the season.

Pivetta’s hardships were evident in his last start.

Facing the Colorado Rockies, he allowed six runs, eight hits and three walks in five innings of a 7-2 loss on Wednesday. It was the fourth straight start in which Pivetta took a loss.

“I think that his composure hasn’t been perfect, but he’s a young, developing pitcher,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler told MLB.com after Pivetta’s start. “He’s going to have his bumps. He’s going to have hiccups along the way. I think this is just an indication of that.”

Pivetta did not pitch against the Cardinals when the Phillies faced them last month, but he saw St. Louis twice last year. Pivetta allowed seven earned runs and struck out 12 in 11 innings during those starts.

Pivetta will be facing a Cardinals team that posted a 5-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night but still has lost five times in its last seven games. The Cardinals (37-32) enter the series four games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central.

Right-hander Miles Mikolas (7-2, 2.43) will be on the mound in the series opener. Mikolas, who spent the last three seasons pitching in Japan, leads the Cardinals with an 0.96 WHIP and his 2.43 ERA is the best in their rotation.

The Cardinals are 9-4 in Mikolas’ starts, but they lost in his last outing. He gave up three runs and six hits in six innings against the San Diego Padres in a 4-2 loss on Tuesday.

“He was throwing the ball well Adidas James Neal Jersey , and he came back and threw the ball well (after a three-run inning),” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told reporters after Mikolas’ last start. “He’s on a nice roll.”

The Phillies are looking for their third series victory in a row. They are returning home for three games against the Cardinals after taking two of three against the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend

Philadelphia was a 10-9 winner over Milwaukee on Sunday as Maikel Franco went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs. The third baseman was making just his second start since June 6 and homered for the first time since May 26.

“Mikey has shown an incredible attitude recently,” Kapler said when he met with reporters after the victory. “He’s come to the ballpark and prepared, even when he has not been in the lineup.”

Rhys Hoskins also homered and is batting .333 (10-for-30) with four homers and 11 RBIs since returning from a broken jaw.

The sweet-swinging Cleveland Indians are taking their show on the road after one successful homestand.

Edwin Encarnacion hit an eighth-inning grand slam, helping the Indians rout the Detroit Tigers 12-2 on Sunday for their season-high seventh straight win.

Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis also connected for Cleveland, which outscored Detroit 26-3 in the three-game sweep. Ramirez finished with three hits, extending his streak of reaching base to 31 consecutive games.

”Everybody’s doing their part,” Encarnacion said. ”The top of the lineup, the bottom of the lineup. Everything’s going great.”

Adam Plutko (4-1) pitched six innings of two-run ball, becoming the second rookie starter to beat the Tigers in the series. Shane Bieber pitched seven innings in Friday night’s 12-0 win.

Tigers starter Matthew Boyd (4-6) allowed a season-high six runs in three-plus innings in his shortest outing of the season.

Detroit has lost five straight overall and is 3-10 against Cleveland this season.

”They’re hot Adidas Marc-Andre Fleury Jersey , they’re swinging the bats good, and they jumped on us early again today,” Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said. ”The ball is flying here now.”

The Indians have outscored their opponents 54-9 during their win streak. They open a nine-game road trip Monday night in St. Louis.

”We’re having a lot of fun,” Encarnacion said.

Cleveland had the game in hand when it added five more runs in the eighth. Kipnis hit a leadoff drive against Artie Lewicki. Lindor’s single and a double by Michael Brantley put runners on second and third.

Ramirez was intentionally walked and Encarnacion followed with a drive to right for his 11th career grand slam.

”When Edwin swings like that, it has to make them think twice,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. ”Then when they pitch around somebody, you love to see it hurt the other team. And you can tell Edwin was really bearing down there.”

Niko Goodrum and James McCann had RBI singles for Detroit in the fourth.

ADD AN O TO OHIO

The Tigers have lost all nine games they have played in the state of Ohio this season. Detroit was swept in a four-game series at Progressive Field in April. The Tigers lost both games in Cincinnati this week before heading north. The Tigers return to Cleveland in September.

”They took it to us this weekend, there’s no doubt,” McCann said.

CAN’T LOOK

Francona doesn’t enjoy certain parts of interleague games in NL parks, such as when his pitchers have to hit. Mike Clevinger, Corey Kluber and Bieber will be the starters in St. Louis.

”They’re doing things they’re not used to Adidas Alex Ovechkin Jersey , even running the bases,” Francona said. ”They’re just not used to doing that during a game. They’re using different muscles, not that they’re not in good shape but they’re just doing different things. We definitely are holding our breath.”

BAD INNING

The eighth was difficult for Lewicki, who was hit on the right ankle by Lindor’s hard grounder to the mound. He remained in the game after a visit from Gardenhire and a team trainer, but gave up the grand slam before finally being pulled.

The right-hander allowed six runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: RHP Drew VerHagen (broken nose) will not resume baseball activities for two weeks after being struck on the face with a throw from shortstop Jose Iglesias while covering first base Tuesday in Cincinnati.

Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco will throw bullpen sessions this week to test his bruised elbow. He was struck by a line drive hit by Minnesota’s Joe Mauer on June 16.

UP NEXT

Tigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (2-0, 4.95 ERA) takes on Oakland at Comerica Park on Monday in the opener of a four-game series.

Indians: Clevinger (6-2, 3.00 ERA) pitches the series opener in St. Louis on Monday. RHP John Gant (1-2, 4.39 ERA) starts for the Cardinals.