That Balls Outta Here
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Phillies: Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola make big statements in big win over Rockies

By Travis Strominger

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 09: Philadelphia Phillies Starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) winds up to pitch during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies on April 9, 2019 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 09: Philadelphia Phillies Starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) winds up to pitch during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies on April 9, 2019 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Phillies won a much-needed game against the Rockies on Saturday despite several injuries. Contributions from the biggest names made the difference.

The Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies Saturday night by a score of eight to five in a win that was badly needed given the circumstances.

With Jean Segura, Scott Kingery, Victor Arano, and David Robertson all on the injured list, the team needed some other core players to step up their game after dropping the first two games to Colorado, with Friday’s loss coming after exhausting the bullpen in 12 innings.

Perhaps the most promising performances during the win came from two of the team’s biggest players: Bryce Harper and Aaron Nola.

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Harper has reached base in every single game this season. He has 22 hits this year to go with a very disciplined 17 walks (four of which are intentional) compared to 26 strikeouts. That’s not to say he won’t strike out a lot. He is a power hitter and swings hard every time he comes to bat.

Harper went 5-for-7 on Friday in the 12-inning game, driving in the go-ahead run in the top half of the inning to make it 3-2. The lead did not last, but Bryce’s on-base streak did.

They say quality is better than quantity, and that was ever-present after a seventh-inning three-run home run last night that put the icing on the cake for the Phillies.

Harper this season is providing great value with his bat, but he has -0.3 defensive wins above replacement (dWAR). If Harper wants to have a season worth his contract, all he really needs to do is be average in the field. With a Defensive Runs Saved of -2 to start the year, he still has time to fix those lingering issues.

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Nola has struggled since the end of last season, and that has carried over to the first handful of starts of his 2019 campaign. Even with his start on Saturday, his WHIP is 1.68. He also has an ERA+ of 66, which means that the quality of his ERA is 66% of that of the league average. However, in the third inning, he showed signs of improvement.

After allowing a single to Trevor Story to make it a 3-1 Rockies lead, Nola allowed two singles and struck out seven batters. He did walk a batter and hit a batter, but he was able to work around those miscues. Not only that, but it paved the way for a Phil Gosselin bases-clearing double to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth inning.

Nola will likely build on that performance, and it certainly helps that his next start will be at home against the lowly Miami Marlins. Nola has not faced Miami yet this season.

Phillies traded away performing well for new teams. dark. Next

In the meantime, Philadelphia must turn their attention to the final game of this series Sunday (3:10 pm, NBC Sports Philadelphia) before heading to New York to take on the Mets Monday-Wednesday.

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