Nola beats Ohtani and the Dodgers, and the Phillies extend their lead over the rest of the NL with a sweep Originally NBC Sports Philadelphia
Aaron Nora He finished the first half in style and had a strong Dodgers It was the most impressive start to the season. Phillies Win by sweeping the closest team in the National League standings.
Nola struck out nine batters in six innings, including Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman After allowing the only run of the night on a CBP Special in the fifth inning, Gavin Lux The ball just barely cleared the left field fence, 329 feet away.
After struggling through the first two innings, Nola got going again after striking out Ohtani and Smith with the bases loaded in the top of the second. He retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced, excluding Lux.
The Phillies won 5-1 and were 61-32 after the sweep, good for the best record in the National League, 6.5 games behind the Dodgers and 7.5 games behind the Brewers. This is obviously significant, since the team with the best record gets home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
“It doesn’t matter who’s coming, it doesn’t matter who I’m playing, I just want to win.” Johan Rojas“Everybody comes here and loses games and series,” he said. “And so does our goal, which is the World Series. We’re hungry to win. That’s why we’re here and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Strong words. Strong reaction from the whole team to the series loss over the weekend. Atlanta.
“Terrific. Mr. Constant, that’s what he’s been,” manager Rob Thomson said of Nola. “You could see it tonight, he struggled the first two innings. He just kept working and kept battling. He struck out Ohtani in the second inning, got a grounder off Smith, settled in and just seemed to get better as the game went on. He’s been pitching great all year.”
The Phillies jumped out to a quick lead on Thursday Trea TurnerHe hit a solo home run in the opposite direction in the bottom of the first inning. The Dodgers used a left-handed pitcher as their starting pitcher. Anthony Bandato fight Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper And Turner made them pay in the meantime.
Turner has performed well over his last 10 games, batting .452 with six home runs and 17 RBIs.
Brandon Marsh He showed off two powerful swings in the second inning, smashing a home run to right field and scoring on a triple. Nick Castellanos The bottom of the sixth inning saw the Phillies extend their lead from one to three.
Rojas dove into the gap in left-center field and extended his glove to stop the steal, preventing a run in the next inning and then more. Kike Hernandez Of extra base. Matt Strahm After that, he broke Ohtani’s bat after a few pitches, ending the top of the seventh inning.
Harper opened the door for the Dodgers to fight back. Jeff Hoffman With one out and the bases loaded in the eighth inning, Hoffman walked and singled, but got out of trouble with a liner-drive double play to the second baseman. Bryson Stott.
The Phillies did a great job in the series with Ohtani, Freeman and Smith, the Dodgers’ three most dangerous hitters going a combined 5-for-28 with 10 strikeouts and no extra base hits.
“I know they were missing Mookie (Betts), but I thought our pitchers did a good job protecting the top of their lineup. Those are guys that can really put up big numbers, so that was the key,” Thompson said. “Keeping them in the ballpark is the key, and I thought our pitchers did their job at the right time.”
Nola went into rest with an 11-4 record and a 3.38 ERA. No pitcher in major league history has more wins than Nola. Chris Sale Starting pitching continues to be a big dividing line for the Phillies. Almost every home game highlights the difference between their starting rotation and that of their rivals. Even powerhouses like the Dodgers and Brewers can’t seem to get through a series at Citizens Bank Park without using an opener or an unconventional starter. Phillies fans are wondering about the fifth pitcher spot when most teams don’t even have a solid third pitcher. The Dodgers certainly don’t have any injuries. Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu YamamotoBut health and durability are also important factors.
The Phillies Ranger Suarez Friday and Saturday against Tyler Phillips in the final series of the first half. Oakland Athleticsthey have lost 25 of their last 29 road games. Zack Wheeler He will likely be a bullpen pitcher in the final game on Sunday, but the Phillies expect him to be available to pitch after the All-Star break.
