Aaron Nola’s turnaround is a big reason why the Philadelphia Phillies are on the verge of clinching a postseason berth.
Nola will take the mound on Wednesday night when the Phillies continue their three-game home series with the playoff-bound Milwaukee Brewers.
In Tuesday’s series opener, Philadelphia won 6-4 as Bryson Stott delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning. Reliever Jhoan Duran ran into trouble in the ninth but earned his 33rd save.
Zack Wheeler struck out 11 over 5 2/3 innings while Brandon Marsh homered and drove in three runs for the Phillies (87-70), who lowered their magic number to clinch a wild-card spot to two.
“Huge team win for us. … It took all of us tonight, and it started with Wheels,” said Marsh, noting how Wheeler, 36, struck out the first seven batters he faced and also reached 2,000 strikeouts for his career. “It was a special night.”
The Phillies will look for three straight wins for the first time since winning six games in a row from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1. They’ll have a good chance if they can get another strong performance from Marsh, who had not homered in more than a month before Tuesday’s blast.
“We’ve got a special group,” Marsh said. “Tremendous amount of talent on this team. A bunch of dogs. We’ve just got to put it together at the right time — and tonight was one of those times.”
Nola (7-10, 4.49 ERA) had a 6.04 ERA at the end of June, but the veteran right-hander has worked his way back into form. He has a 1.33 ERA in September, including a scoreless seven-inning stint in Thursday’s 3-0 triumph over the New York Mets.
“We’re just seeing the pitcher that Aaron Nola always can be,” catcher Garrett Stubbs said after that outing. “We’re just getting the best out of who he is, and I think maybe we lost that for a second. … Sometimes you need some help finding it again. But to me, it’s vintage Aaron Nola.”
Nola allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Brewers on June 13. For his career, he is 7-3 with a 3.22 ERA against them.
The Brewers (98-59), who have clinched the National League Central title, are only one game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the race for the best record in the majors. Milwaukee had won 10 of its previous 12 games before Tuesday’s defeat, although the team still clinched a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage in the NLDS when the Atlanta Braves lost Tuesday.
“The story of the game is that Wheeler was dominant,” said Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy, whose team tied the score against Wheeler in the sixth before falling behind late. “He really did a great job. Terrific pitcher.”
Right-hander Logan Henderson (10-3, 2.51 ERA) will take the mound for the Brewers on Wednesday in his first career appearance against Philadelphia.
In his most recent start, Henderson surrendered three runs in five innings in his team’s 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates last Wednesday. He allowed a pair of home runs but struck out eight and walked only one in an 87-pitch effort.
“He was great,” Murphy said. “He’d like to have a pitch back or two, but I think he was great. This is a great team in their yard, and now that they’re healthy, I think they’re a really good offense. I thought Logan did a great job keeping it under control.”
-Field Level Media
