PHILADELPHIA — Aaron Nola has admitted that he’s been inconsistent this season. A good outing will often be followed by a rough one. That pattern continued in the Phillies’ 4-3 win over the Brewers on Tuesday night.
After allowing four earned runs — including three home runs — in Miami on July 9, Nola pitched a perfect game through his first four innings on Tuesday against the Brewers. He didn’t allow a baserunner until the fifth inning, when Raimel Tapia hit a single to shortstop. The Phillies’ defense did not help him from there.
Tapia stole second base. In the next at-bat, Andruw Monasterio doubled to center fielder Brandon Marsh. Marsh took a poor route and wasn’t able to track it down. Monasterio reached second and Tapia scored.
In the at-bat after that, Brewers infielder Brice Turang hit a single to Bryson Stott. Stott threw the ball to first baseman Darick Hall, who dropped it and was charged with a fielding error. Monasterio scored.
Nola bounced back from there. He allowed only two more baserunners to reach base, off of back to back singles in the eighth inning. He induced a ground out, but exited the game after that. Nola threw 98 pitches. He allowed five hits, three runs, of which two were earned, no walks and six strikeouts. It was just the fourth outing in which he hasn’t allowed a home run this season.
Late game defensive errors almost cost Phillies
In the ninth inning, Craig Kimbrel entered the game with only a 4-3 lead to hold onto. It looked a little dicey at first. Kimbrel induced a lineout for a quick first out, but then Stott committed a fielding error that allowed Jesse Winker to reach first base. In the next at-bat, Kimbrel attempted to pick off Winker, but instead threw a pitch in the dirt. He was charged with a throwing error.
Regardless, Kimbrel was able to get his save. He struck out Owen Miller, and induced a lineout from Tapia to end the ballgame.
A good day at the plate — and in left field — for Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Schwarber has long been plagued by poor defense. He is statistically one of the worst defensive players in baseball this season. But on Tuesday night, he made a catch at that earned him an ovation from the Citizens Bank Park crowd.
In the fifth inning, Miller sent a ball hooking 338 feet to the left field corner. Schwarber timed it perfectly. He jumped in the air, stuck out his glove, and grabbed the ball off the top of the wall. Even he had to laugh as he jogged back to his spot in left field.
It was an ironic moment, given that Schwarber will not be in left field for long. Whenever Bryce Harper starts playing first base — which could be this series, or the next — Schwarber will move to the DH spot. But despite all of his defensive shortcomings, on Tuesday, he gave fans a final moment to remember.
It wasn’t the only moment. In the first inning, Schwarber hit a leadoff home run to left center field to give the Phillies an early 1-0 lead. He’s now hit a home run in four straight games for the first time in his career. It’s only the sixth time it’s happened in Phillies history.
Stott continues to be consistent at the plate
Stott went 2-for-4 on Tuesday night, marking his 32nd multi-hit game of the season. He’s now hitting .306/.342/.434 this year. He leads his team in batting average and hits (107) and ranks second in on-base percentage.
