The Phillies finally got what they’ve been chasing for more than a month: a win in a game started by somebody outside their elite trio.
Aaron Nola was the man on the mound Sunday, and after a rough opening stretch against the Washington Nationals, he settled in just long enough for Philadelphia to turn the night around and walk away with a 6-3 victory on Aug. 3. That ended a brutal run that dated back to June 24, the last time the Phillies had won a game started by anyone other than Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler or Jesus Luzardo.
Nola’s night started shakily. He gave up three runs in the first two innings, but then he steadied himself and held Washington scoreless over the next four frames. Kyle Backhus followed with a scoreless inning of his own in the seventh, buying the offense the chance it needed to finally break through.
That breakout came fast.
Alec Bohm opened the bottom of the seventh with a flyout, but Bryan De La Cruz was hit by a pitch, Bryson Stott worked a walk, and Andrew Alvarez’s night was done. Tom Cosgrove entered and immediately ran into trouble, walking Edmundo Sosa to load the bases for Derek Hill.
Hill made the moment count. He launched a grand slam to put the Phillies ahead 4-3, and Garrett Stubbs and Trea Turner were retired to close out the inning.
Orion Kerkering handled the eighth with a clean frame, and then Bryce Harper added the cushion Philadelphia wanted. Kyle Schwarber drew a walk off Clayton Beeter, Harper stepped in, and he sent his 24th homer of the season out of the park.
That made it 6-3, and Jhoan Duran finished the job in the ninth for his 25th save.
For the Phillies, the bigger picture is hard to ignore. The rotation has been a focus ahead of the trade deadline, even after Andrew Painter’s successful return to the Major League rotation, because production beyond Sanchez, Wheeler and Luzardo has been hard to come by. Nola hasn’t picked up a win since May 26, and this was his first start since July 10 in which he didn’t get tagged with the loss.
Still, the result mattered. Philadelphia somehow remains in the National League Wild Card race, and this win at least gives the club a chance to keep pushing with reinforcements expected to help down the stretch.
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