MIAMI — Expectations weren’t terribly high for Aaron Nola this season. He was coming off of a 2021 in which he’d posted a 4.63 ERA, the second highest mark of his career. His 2018 All-Star campaign, when he went 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA and 224 strikeouts, felt like a distant memory. It was hard to imagine him replicating that type of production again, especially coming off of a down year.
But Nola has been dominant this season and in the Phillies’ 4-0 win on Sunday, he gave a glimpse of his 2018 self. The right-handed starter pitched eight and 1/3 innings, allowing only four hits and one walk. He struck out 10 batters, the 25th time he’s done so in his career. He now has a streak of 24 consecutive scoreless innings pitched, which is a season-record for him.
It was easily Nola’s best start of the season, and it came just a few days after one of his worst. On July 11, in St. Louis, he went seven innings but allowed five earned runs, tied for the most he has allowed all year. On Sunday, he was on cruise control.
And so were the Phillies, who needed some momentum to take with them as they entered the All-Star break. When they arrived in Miami on Thursday, they had lost four straight games — their longest losing streak under interim manager Rob Thomson. But they quickly turned things around, against a team that has given them trouble in the past.
With their win on Sunday, the Phillies swept the Marlins in Miami for the first time since September 13-15, 2010. The starting pitchers for that series were Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay. That team went on to win the NL East, only to fall to the Giants in the NLCS.
Much has changed in the wake of that three-game set. The Phillies made the playoffs one more time — in 2011 — and haven’t been back since. After finishing first in their division from 2007-2011, they haven’t finished higher than third since 2012. And they likely won’t change that this year, with the Mets sitting at 24 games over .500.
Nevertheless, there is reason to believe the Phillies could still make the playoffs. With an abundance of injuries to contend with, the team has still managed to make it to the All-Star break six games above .500. The Phillies have all also managed to make it to the All-Star break with that aforementioned momentum.
In short, a lot is going right for the Phillies at the moment. After a couple of ice-cold games, the offense is starting to heat up. Ranger Suárez, back from the injured list, is pitching like the 2021 version of himself. The bullpen entered Sunday’s game with a 2.94 ERA — good for fourth-best in baseball — and now it has an extra arm in JoJo Romero.
More reinforcements will come at the trade deadline on Aug. 2. After that, the Phillies’ schedule gets much easier. Of their 18 remaining series after Aug. 2, 11 are against teams that are currently below .500. It isn’t a lock, but if you look closely, and maybe with a healthy dose of optimism, you can see a path to October.
Offense shows some spark for the second night
After a 10-run game on Saturday, the Phillies’ offense gave Nola a nice, four-run, eight-hit cushion to work with on Sunday. Alec Bohm went 2-for-4 with an RBI double, an encouraging sign in his second game back since he dislocated his left ring finger. Matt Vierling hit an RBI double as well, and Yairo Muñoz hit a home run to left field to score Vierling, his third home run of the season.
