Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies Vs. Cardinals Game 2: Aaron Nola Can Send Phils to Next Round

Nola and Phillies look to maintain momentum, leave town without a Game 3 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Five days after one of his most impressive performances in the highest-leverage start of his career, Aaron Nola has a chance to lead the Phillies into the next round of the playoffs.

The Phils are one win away from advancing to face the Braves and guaranteeing themselves at least one home playoff game. Saturday at 8:37 p.m., Nola takes the ball in Game 2 in St. Louis.

The Phils stole Friday's series opener, setting a major-league record for a trailing team by scoring six runs in the ninth inning of a playoff game. All that after mustering just two hits and four baserunners over eight scoreless innings.

Nola can help end the series early if he follows Zack Wheeler's gem with one of his own.

"It feels good," Nola said Friday afternoon, the day before his playoff debut. "Feels different. Way more fun being on this side of it, getting into the postseason. Since being here, since 2015, every year we've gotten better, and I see it in spring training in the clubhouse. Better guys, better talent, I think we just had to make that last push and I think we did that this year.

"I think it was just a matter of time. It's awesome to be here and obviously celebrate getting into the postseason the other day with everybody, especially (Zach Eflin) and Rhys (Hoskins). They've been here the longest. So it's awesome for (Zack) Wheeler and (Jean) Segura and J.T. (Realmuto), who are making their postseason debut as well. It's awesome for the team, for the organization, for the fanbase to be here. But it starts today, and we're excited, looking forward to today."

Several hours later, the Phils went out and won, 6-3. Wheeler pitched 6⅓ shutout innings with some of the best velocity he's had all year. He and Nola each entered the postseason on a high. Wheeler has been outstanding since returning from a month-long stay on the injured list, allowing one run in 21⅓ innings. Nola carried a perfect game into the seventh inning Monday in Houston in the Phillies' playoff clincher.

"With Wheels and Nola, you've got two guys that are really good pitchers, and not that they've been in the playoffs before, but they've pitched some big games," manager Rob Thomson said. "Nola pitched the other night to clinch it and was really locked in."

Nola did not have the same success against the Cardinals in July that Wheeler did. He had two bad innings and allowed five runs over seven in a Phillies loss. Historically, he's pitched very well when facing St. Louis, posting a 2.69 ERA with his lowest opponents' batting average against any team (.172).

Like Wheeler, Nola has limited the Cardinals' top two hitters. Paul Goldschmidt is 3 for 20 with eight strikeouts and Nolan Arenado is 3 for 15. Neither has homered.

"Gotta try to get ahead of them," Nola said. "Experienced veteran guys, been in this position before. They're smart hitters. So kind of just make the adjustments in the game, see how Wheeler attacks them today."

The Phillies face right-hander Miles Mikolas, a quick worker who relies on soft contact just like Jose Quintana. Mikolas had a 3.29 ERA this season in 202⅓ innings, walking only 39 batters. Nola and Mikolas had the second- and 10th-lowest walk rates in the majors, respectively.

The Phillies grounded into two double plays and put just one man in scoring position when they last saw Mikolas on July 11 at Busch Stadium. Hoskins, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos each took him deep prior to 2022.

Defensively, the Phils were crisp in Game 1. Alec Bohm made an unexpected snag of a ball in foul ground to end an inning with the top of the Cardinals' order due up and it was an error-free game for a Phillies team that committed the third-fewest in MLB this season.

Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, who averages 100 mph and pitched to a 1.25 ERA, threw 33 pitches as he lost command in the ninth inning Friday. It's a must-win Game 2 for the Cardinals so he could still be available but his effectiveness may be diminished. He is also dealing with numbness in his right middle finger.

The back-end of the Phillies' bullpen should be in good shape. Seranthony Dominguez was not used in Game 1, David Robertson pitched a 1-2-3 inning and Jose Alvarado threw only 12 pitches, albeit high-stress pitches. Zach Eflin threw 22 in the ninth. He's appeared in back-to-back games once since moving to the bullpen.

But it all begins with Nola's performance. He can make an opposing offense look silly on any given night and fared well overall in his 18 starts this season against winning teams, posting a 3.49 ERA.

Subscribe to Phillies Talk: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | Watch on YouTube

Copyright RSN
Contact Us