PHOENIX — You’d be hard-pressed to come up with two more disparate outings than Aaron Nola’s last two starts. On Aug. 25 against the Reds, he threw an 11-strikeout complete game. On Aug. 30 against the Diamondbacks, he went only four innings, allowing 10 hits, eight runs — all earned — and no walks with five strikeouts and one home run in a 12-3 Phillies loss. It was the first time Nola had allowed eight runs in a game since 2016.
Nola was hardly the only problem. The Phillies made a few costly defensive mistakes — including throwing errors from catcher Garrett Stubbs and third baseman Alec Bohm. After an offensive explosion against Diamondbacks starter Madison Bumgarner in the first four innings of Monday night’s game, the Phillies failed to score a run in their next 12.
Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen, who entered his start with a 2.66 ERA, held the Phillies to just two hits over seven innings. Gallen, a Bishop Eustace alumnus, was always going to be a tough matchup.
