Aaron Nola tugged the brim of his hat Thursday night as he neared the steps of the Phillies dugout, briefly acknowledging the ovation from the fans that followed him as he walked from the mound.
Nola was excellent, again. And his ovation was well deserved as Nola struck out eight and allowed just one run. But a 4-3 win over the Nationals was far from over. The Phillies still needed four outs and Nola _ who pitched 7 2/3 innings _ left runners on first and second. His night was left in the balance of the Phillies' shaky bullpen, a unit that seemed to want to shy away from using Seranthony Dominguez, who rested after pitching two innings on Wednesday.
The bullpen held on and Dominguez, who threw 25 pitches a night earlier, was pushed into action. Adam Morgan needed just one pitch to retire Daniel Murphy and end the eighth inning. But Tommy Hunter floundered in the ninth. He gave up a run on a pair of hard hits and Dominguez started to warm in the bullpen. It was clear that he would be needed. Hunter picked up an out and that would be it. Kapler called on Dominguez, who needed just nine pitches to escape the rally. Nola's night was secure.
Nola has allowed one or zero runs in seven of his last 11 starts. His season ERA lowered to just 2.48 and he has 50 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings. He used his curveball for three swinging strikeouts and pumped a fastball past Bryce Harper to pick up his first out of the eighth. Those two pitches _ plus the growth of a change-up _ are what sets Nola apart.
The four-game series with Washington ends a challenging 10-game stretch against the Nationals and the Yankees. It also ends a 25-game stretch where the Phillies played 22 games against teams with a winning record. The Phils have held their own. A win on Friday guarantees they will finish that stretch with a winning record. And then the going gets a bit easier. Their final 13 games before the All-Star break come against the Orioles, Pirates, Mets, and Marlins. Those four teams have a combined .390 winning percentage. The Phillies have the chance to enter the break feeling good about themselves.
Rhys Hoskins hit a towering two-run homer in the seventh. He has homered in consecutive games and has seven homers in his 18 games since returning from the disabled list. Hoskins had just six homers in the 52 games he played before going to the DL with a fractured jaw. He reached base three times, including a blistering fifth-inning single that reached the left-field wall on a hop. It was hardest-hit of the game and a sign that Hoskins is comfortable.
Jorge Alfaro singled in a run in the second and Scott Kingery gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead with a sacrifice fly in the third. Kingery struck out with the bases loaded in the first, but was able to come through two innings later with runners on second and third. Kingery gave Nola the lead he needed. And Hoskins provided the cushion the bullpen required.
