NEW YORK _ As the Phillies headed into the all-star break Sunday, they did so with a starting rotation that is comprised of two pitchers who were demoted either to the minors or the bullpen earlier in the season, one who recently felt fatigued 13 pitches into a game, and another who is trying to figure out if he will be able to keep pitching with a bone spur in his elbow.
Good luck winning the National League East with that motley crew.
Every fifth game, though, the Phillies give the ball to one of the best pitchers on the planet. And if Aaron Nola's struggles through the season's first 2{ months caused anybody to forget how good he is, well, let's just say the last four starts have offered a crystal-clear reminder.
Nola didn't allow a hit through five innings Sunday against the New York Mets. And because the Phillies sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning and staked their resurgent ace to a four-run lead, they were able to emerge with a stress-free 8-3 victory that set them up for a second half in which they expect to remain in contention despite their pitching problems.
If general manager Matt Klentak is able to trade for a starter who can do as much to aid the rotation as recently acquired Jay Bruce has done for the lineup, they might actually have a shot.
Bruce continued to torment his former team and uplift his new one by slugging two more home runs, giving him 10 in 28 games with the Phillies, including four in seven games against the Mets.
Bruce singled to drive home a run in the four-run first inning against Mets starter Zack Wheeler. He added a two-run homer in the sixth and a solo shot in the eighth.
And the Mets had no chance against Nola, not even after rookie sensation Pete Alonso broke up the no-hit bid with his 30th homer of the season, a two-run shot to right field on an 0-2 curveball in the sixth inning.
Nola was sensational once again. Through five innings, he allowed two baserunners, both on walks, and permitted only three balls to be hit out of the infield. His fastball command remained precise, his curveball sharp. And he stretched his scoreless streak to 22 consecutive innings, one shy of his career-high set in 2016.
Over his last four starts, Nola has allowed two earned runs on 14 hits and nine walks while striking out 34 batters in 29 ? innings. His earned-run average has plummeted from 4.89 after a June 15 start in Atlanta to 3.74.
The Phillies, meanwhile, won for the sixth time in seven games against the Mets. Since June 8, when the Phillies were 37-27 and had a two-game lead in the division, they have gone 10-16 and slid to 6 { games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves. Six of those 10 wins have come against the Mets.
For the second time on the road trip, the Phillies jumped on a sinkerball pitcher for four runs in the first inning.
Just as they did to Mike Soroka on Thursday night in Atlanta, the Phillies got out to a fast start against Wheeler. Five of the first six batters reached base, including four consecutive hits by Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto and Bruce.
Bruce is 30-for-103 (.291) with 29 RBI and a .641 slugging percentage since coming over from the Seattle Mariners in a June 2 trade that ranks among the best in-season moves that Klentak has ever made. He likely will need to make at least one more for a pitcher if the Phillies are going to remain in the hunt to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
In the meantime, they will keep sending Nola to the mound every five games and enjoying the view.
