Aaron Nola closed out the first inning in style, stifling a strong Dodgers lineup in one of his most impressive starts of the season to help the Phillies finish their sweep of the National League team closest to them in the standings.
Nola notched nine knockouts over six innings, including a killer row of Shohei Otani, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman in order in the fifth after allowing his only run of the game on a CBP special to Gavin Lux that barely went over the left-field wall 329 feet away.
The first two innings were grueling, but Nola found his rhythm after getting Otani and Smith out with the bases loaded to end the second inning. He struck out 14 of the last 15 batters he faced, except Lux.
Philadelphia went 5-1 and sits at 61-32 after the blowout, 6.5 games ahead of the Dodgers and 7.5 games ahead of the Brewers for the best record in the National League. That’s significant as the team with the better record has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
“We don’t care who comes, we don’t care who we play, we just have to beat them,” said Johan Rojas, who scored on a single shot and got a crucial goal in the final moments of the game. “Any team can come here and end up losing games or series. The same goes for our goal in the World Series, we’re going to go out and win it. We’re hungry to win, that’s what we’re here for and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Strong words. Strong response from the entire team to a series loss over the weekend in Atlanta.
“He’s a great player, he’s consistent, that’s what he was,” manager Rob Thompson said of Nola. “You look at tonight’s game, the first two innings he was in trouble. He keeps working hard and keeps fighting. In the second inning, he got Otani out, got a ground ball from Smith, and then he settled in, and I thought as the game went on, he got better. He’s been dynamite all year.”
Philadelphia took a quick lead Thursday thanks to a home run by Trea Turner in the first inning. The Dodgers used left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda to attack Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, and Turner made them pay in the second.
Turner was a maniac in those last 10 games, hitting .452 with six home runs and 17 RBI.
Brandon Marsh hit two big hits, hitting a home run to right in the second inning, then hit a triple to score Nick Castellanos in the sixth as the Phillies extended their lead from one to three.
Rojas saved a run and perhaps more in the next inning by running into the gap in left center and extending his glove to deny Kiké Hernandez the extra bases. Matt Strahum broke Otani’s bat after two pitches to end the seventh.
Harper opened the door for a potential Dodgers offense by dropping a routine pitch from Jeff Hoffman in the eighth inning with one out and no outs. Hoffman loaded the bases with a single and a strikeout but escaped with a double off the offensive line to second baseman Bryson Stott.
Philadelphia did a great job in the series against Ohtani, Freeman and Smith. The Dodgers’ top three batters went 5-of-28 with 10 strikeouts and no extra-base hits.
“I know they’re missing Mookie (Pitts) but I think our pitchers took care of their top order which is important because those guys are really capable of putting up big numbers,” Thompson said. “Keeping those guys on the field is key. I think our guys got it done in a timely manner.”
Nola goes into the break at 11-4 with a 3.38 earned run average. The only pitcher in the majors with more wins is Chris Sale with 12. The starting pitcher remains a key differentiator for Philadelphia. The gap between their rotation and their opponents is evident in almost every home game. It seems like most teams, even good ones like the Dodgers and Brewers, can’t get through a series at Citizens Bank Park without an opener or an unconventional starting pitcher. Philadelphia fans have been wondering about the fifth spot when most teams don’t even have a solid third. Granted, the Dodgers are without Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who are injured, but health and durability are part of it all, too.
Philadelphia will start Ranger Suarez and Tyler Phillips on Friday and Saturday in the final series of the first half against the Oakland Athletics, who have lost 25 of their last 29 away games. Back spasms will prevent Zack Wheeler from starting the final game on Sunday — likely a relief game — but Philadelphia believes he will be ready to come out of the All-Star break.
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