PHILADELPHIA — On a night when the Phillies received some unfortunate pitching news, Aaron Nola gave them his best start of the season — a five-hit complete game — en route to a 4-0 Phillies win and a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. Earlier that day, the Phillies announced that Zack Wheeler would be placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm tendinitis. It was the latest blow in a series of pitching injuries that have hit the Phillies over the past few weeks, including the loss of reliever Seranthony Domínguez and starter Zach Eflin to the 15-day injured list and reliever Corey Knebel to the 60-day injured list.
But Nola was cruising against the Reds as if both he and his team didn’t have a care in the world. The right-handed pitcher went nine innings allowing just five hits and racking up 11 strikeouts. He threw only 101 pitches, 77 of which were strikes. It was his fifth complete game of his career and his first since April 18, 2021, against St. Louis.
In the top of the eighth inning, Nola allowed two singles to Aristides Aquino and Alejo Lopez. But he promptly struck out his next three batters to end the inning. In the top of the ninth inning, he allowed a single to Nick Senzel, struck out the next two batters he faced, and then gave up a double to TJ Friedl. Nola induced a groundout by Aquino to win the game.
