Staking starting pitcher Aaron Nola to a big lead hasn’t been a problem for the Phillies’ offense in his two starts against the Nationals since coming back from injury.
Saturday, Nola was able to hold it as his strong performance and another big showing by the offense helped the Phillies to a 6-4 win to improve to 75-54 on the season.
Last Sunday, in Nola’s first start after being sidelined for three months with ankle and rib injuries, the Phillies climbed out to a 6-0 lead before Nola gave up six to the Nationals in what eventually became an 11-9 Phillies win.
Saturday was different, as Nola maintained good control with his four-seam fastball and knuckle-curve and kept the Nationals off balance through his six innings of work. He allowed five hits, two earned runs, walked one and struck out six in his 97-pitch night.
“I felt good, body felt good, ankle and rib were normal today,” said Nola, who picked up his second win of the season. “The ball felt like it was coming out better than it has been. It felt good to get a win for the guys and go for the series win tomorrow.
“I feel like when the velocity is up a little bit like that I’m on top of it a little bit more and I get a little jump before it gets to the plate and you get away with a little bit more. The fastball felt really good and I felt like it set up some other stuff, especially my curve ball.”
After failing to get a hit in the first three innings off Washington’s starter Mitchell Parker, the Phillies erupted for five in the fourth on five hits — including RBI doubles from J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm and a three-run home run from Edmundo Sosa, who got the start at second base against the left-handed Parker. Trea Turner slugged his 14th homer of the season, and just his second at Citizens Bank Park, in the fifth to close out the scoring for the Phillies.
Nola pretty much breezed through his first five innings in which he allowed just one unearned run. After giving up a dribbler of an infield single to Dylan Crews, Drew Millas hit a hard grounder to Weston Wilson at first. Wilson bobbled it, and instead of taking the sure out at first, tried to fire to second to get Crews. The ball hit off his hand and both runners advanced. Crews scored on a groundout by Brady House before Nola struck out Robert Hassell III to end the inning.
Nola gave up solo home runs to CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia, Jr. in the sixth before calling it a night with a 6-3 lead.
“He looked really good tonight,” said Rob Thomson. “He touched 94 (MPH). The command on his fastball was really good. Curve ball was sharp. He mixed in his changeup late. He had some rollovers on that. Great job in the fifth inning getting out of that little jam he had after we scored five. No fault of his own. I thought he was great.”
A strong performance from Nola was just what the organization craved on the day it was announced that ace Zack Wheeler would miss the rest of the season and need surgery for venous thoracic outlet syndrome. The timeline for recovery from surgery is six-to-eight months.
While Thomson will have to develop a new master plan with his ace starter now sidelined, his job is made a lot easier when the offense continues to perform as they have scored 50 runs over their last six games.
“I saw that and it’s tough to lose him,” said Nola of Wheeler. “Especially of his caliber and this part of the season, too. It’s tough for the team and the city and the organization, but we’re going to do our best to pick him up and go win as many more baseball games as possible and try to win the division.”
This past week, Sosa said he has been putting time in with hitting coach Kevin Long to try to get back to a more comfortable spot in his stance. It paid off as he clubbed his seventh home run of the season.
“During the last five days I’ve been working with the coaches and they told me something they noticed something that I was staying back on my body,” said Sosa. “We were working on that. We’re just focused on staying in a more athletic position to hit with my body. We were working every day on that adjustment. I feel stronger with my legs and I feel like now I’m in a good position to hit.”
After blowing his first save as a Phillie on Friday, closer Jhoan Duran stood in front of the media and said he’d be ready to go the next day if the team needed him. They did, and he was. Kind of. Duran preserved the Phillies sixth win in their last eight games, but it didn’t come without a little angst. After getting Millas to ground out, Duran gave up a double to House and then a single to Hassell III to put runners at first and third. But Duran struck out leadoff hitter James Wood and got Abrams to fly out to left to finish off the Nationals.
It was the type of inning Duran needed after Friday. It was the kind of day the organization had to have as they move forward without Wheeler.
Painter’s time coming?
With the news Saturday of Wheeler being out for the season, it would seem almost inevitable that top prospect Andrew Painter would be called up at some point soon. The question of Painter’s promotion has been one manager Rob Thomson has been asked just about all season.
And just a couple of weeks ago, it seemed as though Painter wasn’t going to be an option, even when Thomson professed his desire to use a six-man rotation. That’s because Taijuan Walker had been pitching so well that the spot appeared to be his. Now, with Wheeler being out, the Painter questions once again arise.
Friday, Painter pitched five innings and allowed four hits, one run and struck out five. He also issued four walks. His command has been the biggest concern this season while at Lehigh Valley.
“Very good,” said Thomson on Painter’s outing. “I watched the game. I thought he was much better yesterday. I know he walked four guys, but he didn’t miss by much. The fastball command was much better. Stuff is still really good and velocity is really, really good. It was encouraging.”
Asked if Painter was approaching a time where he may be shut down, Thomson was adamant. “Nope. We planned it out so that he could go the rest of the season and just be a normal pitcher.”
Whether that is in Philadelphia or the Lehigh Valley remains to be seen.
“I think we just have to go day to day right now,” said Thomson.
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