This article is a part of Verducci’s View, a new weekly baseball newsletter from Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci. Every Monday, Tom empties out his notebook over email and covers MLB’s hottest topics, provides in-depth analysis through both text and video breakdowns, looks forward to what’s worth watching during the week and more. If you want to be featured in his new mailbag, please email [email protected] with any questions about MLB or his decades in the sport.
Two key arms for the Phillies suffered injuries down the stretch. Jesus Luzardo went on the IL with shoulder inflammation and setup reliever Jonathan Bowlan left the game Thursday with groin tightness.
Luzardo is eligible to return on the final day of the season, but he’s unlikely to pitch then to keep him available for the wild card series. Without time to build him up again, Philadelphia is leaning toward using Luzardo as a late-inning lefthander in the postseason. The late-inning bullpen options in front of closer Jhoan Duran are not certain for manager Don Mattingly, an uncomfortable feeling in playoff baseball.
Meanwhile, Aaron Nola continues to throw the ball so well he is back in Philadelphia’s postseason pitching plans. Overall, it’s clear that Nola needs to rely on his spin and changeup more than ever:
| Nola by Pitch Type, 2026 | Usage | BA | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fastballs | 50% | .344 | .640 |
| Non-Fastballs | 50% | .186 | .319 |
Lately, Nola has reduced slug and been a master at getting chase:
| Time Period | GS | W-L | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through July 22 | 21 | 3–8 | 5.82 |
| Since | 10 | 4–2 | 2.10 |
What changed?
1. His sinker was getting crushed (.368 with .701 slug), so he dialed it back from 19.5% to 15.9%.
2. He has boosted his changeup use more than any other pitch, from 14.2% to 20.6%.
3. His signature pitch, the knucklecurve, is as good as ever. Batters are hitting .143 against his curve in this 10-start stretch, down from .193. Overall, the batting average against his curve is the lowest since 2018 and he’s throwing it more than he has since 2019 (33.1%).
With Nola, it’s this simple: when he can get chase swings on his curveball, he’s good. If he doesn’t, and he must come into the zone with his fastballs, he’s bad.
Yes, there are more strikeouts in the modern game than ever. But Nola, who has never thrown a pitch 97 mph and has topped out this year at 95.4 mph, can claim to be one of the best strikeout pitchers in history without being a power pitcher.
Here’s a list that might surprise you:
Highest K/9 IP, Min. 300 GS
| Pitcher | Career K/9 |
|---|---|
| 1. Chris Sale | 11.1 |
| 2. Randy Johnson | 10.6 |
| 3. Max Scherzer | 10.5 |
| 4. Gerrit Cole | 10.3 |
| 5. Pedro Martinez | 10.0 |
| 6. Aaron Nola | 9.8 |
| 7. Clayton Kershaw | 9.6 |
| 8. Zack Wheeler | 9.6 |
| 9. Nolan Ryan | 9.5 |
| 10. Sandy Koufax | 9.3 |
📺 Breakdown of the Week
It’s been a rough year for Phillies infielder Alec Bohm, who sued his parents over financial management (since settled) and by mid-August was hitting .227 with a .288 on-base percentage—career worsts for the free-agent-to-be. On Aug. 10, Phillies manager Don Mattingly did not start Bohm against St. Louis righthander Hunter Dobbins, instead giving DH Kyle Schwarber a rare start at first base in Bohm’s place and using Bryce Harper as the DH.
The night off was an opportunity for Bohm to hit the batting cage with hitting coach Kevin Long. The two of them made a key adjustment to Bohm’s setup. Instead of holding the bat parallel to the ground (flat over his shoulder), Bohm raised the barrel.
Why the change? Long noticed that with the bat flat Bohm tended to wrap it behind him as he loaded, causing unneeded length in his swing. Long advised the raised bat position to create a more direct path to the ball.
How did it work out? You can see the difference here. And you can see it in Bohm’s performance with a faster, shorter swing:
| Time Period | BA | OBP | SLG | Swing Speed | Swing Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before Aug. 10 | .227 | .288 | .359 | 70.8 | 7.2 |
| After | .330 | .408 | .496 | 71.9 | 7.1 |
