NEW YORK — As Aaron Nola stretched in front of the bullpen and fans filed into Citi Field, an in-stadium host previewed the opener of Friday’s doubleheader by editorializing — correctly, by the way — that the Phillies’ star pitcher is having a “un-Nola-like season.”
What else could Nola do, then, but give one of the best all-around performances in franchise history?
Nola struck out 10 consecutive batters, tying a 51-year-old major league record set by, of all people, Tom Seaver, the late Hall of Famer and all-time greatest Met. Nola also got two hits, including a go-ahead RBI double.
But it’s 2021 and these are the Phillies, so Nola’s achievement was wasted by the poisonous double play of the bullpen and defense. First baseman Rhys Hoskins lost José Alvarado’s high throw in the sun on what should’ve been a routine out, Alvarado blew his first save opportunity after being appointed as closer, and the Mets walked off the Phillies, 2-1, on Dominic Smith’s eighth-inning single off Ranger Suárez.
What happened in the second game was even more quintessential 2021 Phillies.
They didn’t hit (again). They made another costly error and blew their majors-leading 18th save. But for each step back, they usually take one forward. And by pushing across a ghost runner without getting a hit in the eighth inning and getting three outs from demoted closer Hector Néris, they eked out a 2-1 victory and a split that kept them five games off the Mets’ pace in the NL East.
With lefty Matt Moore making a spot start in the doubleheader finale and Mets ace Jacob deGrom — the best pitcher on the planet, with a 30-inning scoreless streak in tow — scheduled to start Saturday, winning the opener seemed paramount if the Phillies were going to cut into New York’s lead in the division.
But Moore delivered five scoreless innings and left with a 1-0 lead thanks to a leaping catch at the left-field wall by Andrew McCutchen to steal a home run from Albert Almora Jr. in the second inning and a solo homer by Bryce Harper in the top of the sixth. All 11 of Harper’s homers this season have come without a runner on base.
For the second game in a row, the Mets tied the game on an unearned run in the seventh inning. This time, it was third baseman Alec Bohm who made a costly miscue with his failure to handle a grounder to his left. Stand-in closer Archie Bradley loaded the bases and gave up the tying run on a sacrifice fly.
The Phillies regained the lead in the top of the eighth on a pair of groundouts by Brad Miller and Odubel Herrera. Then Neris got three outs to nail down the win.
The record will reflect that Suárez allowed the winning run in the first game on a single up the middle by Smith that scored ghost runner Francisco Lindor from second base. It will show, too, that Alvarado blew a save in his first opportunity by giving up a two-out RBI single to Lindor.
But the Phillies were done in again by the worst defense in baseball. The latest offender: Hoskins, who was unable to catch Alvarado’s high throw on Luis Guillorme’s comebacker to the mound to start the seventh inning. Hoskins appeared to lose the ball in the early-evening sun, and as it sailed over his glove, Guillorme chugged into second base.
Alvarado retired the next two batters, then got ahead in the count to Lindor on a 99-mph sinker. He spiked a cutter in the dirt, then went back to the sinker. Lindor timed it right and lined it into center field to tie the game.
The Phillies lost their fourth game in a row and seventh in the last nine. They have 17 blown saves, most in the majors. They also have the fewest defensive runs saved in baseball (minus-34) and play below-average defense at most positions on the field.
“Every loss is tough right now, especially to these guys,” Nola said after the Phillies fell to 5-14 in abbreviated games since the seven-inning doubleheader rule went into effect last season. “They’re in first place. This is a big series for us. But we’ve got three more games. Got to take care of business tonight.”
Nola entered with a 5.62 ERA in his last eight starts and was coming off a 2 1/3-inning, six-run dud last Saturday in San Francisco, the shortest start of his career. Did he figure out anything in the intervening six days?
“Sure hope so,” manager Joe Girardi said before the game. “We’re going to find out.”
This was vintage Nola. He pounded the strike zone with his fastball and got eight swings and misses early in the game with his curveball. He went heavier on his change-up the second time through the order and got eight swings and misses with that offspeed pitch, too.
After the Mets’ first two batters of the game reached base, Nola went on his strikeout binge. He froze Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker on a 91-mph fastball to open the third inning and tie the Phillies’ record of seven consecutive strikeouts, a mark shared by Steve Carlton in 1981, Curt Schilling in 1996, and Jerad Eickhoff in 2018.
Nola beat the franchise record by getting Jeff McNeil to swing through a sinker, then closed the third inning by whiffing Lindor.
Next up: Seaver. Tom Terrific is such a legend here that the official address of the Mets’ ballpark is 41 Seaver Way. Nola joined him in the record book by getting Michael Conforto to wave at a change-up after fouling off a fastball and a curve.
What made Nola go to the change-up?
“I don’t know,” Nola said. “I hadn’t thrown a change-up to that side of the plate, so it ended up working out and getting the K.”
Nola got two strikes on the next batter, Pete Alonso. But with history hanging in the balance — “I kind of knew because they were chanting, ‘Let’s go Pete!’ ” Nola said — the Mets’ first baseman hit a cue-shot double down the right-field line.
“It’s pretty cool,” Nola said. “It’s pretty cool being in a category with Tom.”
The Phillies mustered only three hits, two of which came from Nola, previously an .082 career hitter. His first hit, a two-out single in the third inning, went off the wall in left field, narrowly missing going out of the ballpark.
In short, Nola did it all.
And in typical Phillies fashion, even that wasn’t enough.
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