PHILADELPHIA _ As mound conversations go, this one didn't last long. Probably because there wasn't much to say.
With two outs and the Phillies leading by one run in the top of the seventh inning, the Baltimore Orioles had runners on the corners and Manny Machado _ their most dangerous hitter, by a wide margin _ coming to the plate. Aaron Nola had thrown 100 pitches, but he's the Phillies' best pitcher. Even with reliever Victor Arano loosening in the bullpen, manager Gabe Kapler wasn't about to take Nola out then.
So, Kapler strode to the mound, said a few words and walked back to the dugout. If he had a bowl of popcorn, he probably would've grabbed it. This was that kind of moment.
Three pitches later, Machado was taking his position at shortstop, Nola was back in the dugout and "God Bless America" was being performed. Machado popped out to shallow right field, where second baseman Cesar Hernandez made a running basket catch, and the Phillies still had the lead en route to a 4-1 Fourth of July victory, their fourth consecutive win and sixth in seven games.
The Phillies (47-37) improved to 10 games above .500, their high-water mark since the end of the 102-win 2011 season. They also inched to within 1 { games of the division-leading Atlanta Braves, 6-2 losers to the Yankees in New York. Just as significantly, the Phillies are 5 { games better than the Washington Nationals, who dipped to one game below .500 after getting swept at home by the Boston Red Sox.
Stop us if you've heard this before: Nola was outstanding.
The Phillies' ace allowed one run on seven hits and two walks over seven innings and became the NL's second 11-game winner, joining Chicago Cubs lefty Jon Lester. With two starts remaining before the all-star break, Nola has a 2.41 ERA and 116 strikeouts, fifth-best in the league in both categories.
Machado was Nola's final batter. And Nick Williams tacked on a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to open a three-run cushion for the Phillies' bullpen, no small detail considering relief ace Seranthony Dominguez was likely unavailable after throwing 28 pitches Tuesday night.
Arano recorded the final six outs for his first career save, which also extended the bullpen's scoreless streak to 15 consecutive innings.
For four innings, the Phillies were muted by Orioles rookie right-hander Yefry Ramirez. In only his second career start, Ramirez held the Phillies hitless until Scott Kingery's one-out double in the fifth.
But an egregious error by Orioles first baseman Chris Davis gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead. With two on and one out, Jorge Alfaro hit a grounder that forced Davis to move one step to his left. Davis was unable to get his glove down, and the ball went into right field, allowing Williams and Kingery to score.
It was a dreadful miscue on a dreadful day in a dreadful season for Davis, who struck out three times to leave his OPS at an impossibly low .490.
The Phillies improved to 30-16 at Citizens Bank Park, a .652 winning percentage that leads the league. But they close the first half of the season with 11 games in 10 days on the road and don't return home until July 20, the first game after the all-star break.
