The Philadelphia Phillies have continued to win, but things have gradually been coming apart at the seams in the health department over the last couple of weeks. Luckily, Aaron Nola stepped up on Tuesday afternoon and delivered a virtuoso performance against the New York Mets, taking all the pressure off the bats in a 4-0 win.
Now 30-13, the Phillies had to make a comeback to pull out an extra-innings win on Monday. On Tuesday, they put two runs on the board in the third inning, courtesy of Mets starter José Buttó's wildness. With the bases loaded, he hit Alec Bohm — Bohm's second RBI on a hit-by-pitch in as many games — and walked Brandon Marsh.
The Phillies tacked on insurance runs in the top of the ninth. A hotter-than-hot Bryson Stott drove in a Kyle Schwarber double. Bohm dropped an RBI double in the right-field corner for the Phillies' fourth run.
Nola didn't need the extra cushion, but it was nice to have.
The right-hander cruised through the Mets lineup, tossing a complete game shutout, using 109 pitches (73 strikes). He allowed just four hits and struck out eight with no walks for his fifth win of the year. He looked untouchable for most of the game. The ninth inning got a little sticky, but he finished the Mets off with a harmless fly ball, leaving runners on first and third.
Complete. Game. Shutout. pic.twitter.com/khWikP4km4
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 14, 2024
It's the fourth career shutout and third nine-inning shutout for the career Phillie. It's the team's second complete game shutout this season. Remember when Ranger Suárez did his thing against the Rockies? The Phillies had just one complete game shutout in 2023, per MLB.com's Paul Casella. They have also piled up six starts of seven-plus scoreless innings so far.
After the game, Nola spoke about the importance of the starting rotation going deep into games.
"We know that getting to the postseason, how important the bullpen is, because you know they throw a lot, and they've got to be fresh," Nola said. "We want to put it on our back during the season to rack up those innings, and we've got five guys that can do that."
Nola's gem comes at the perfect time with Phillies' concerning injuries piling up
Nola's outing couldn't have come at a better time for the NL East-leading Phillies. The injuries on the offensive side of the ball have been piling up recently.
Trea Turner was the first to go down, straining a hamstring on May 3 with the Phillies surging at the beginning of the month. He went on the 10-day IL and will be out until at least mid-June.
Despite losing a big part of the offense — Turner was a catalyst for the offense over the first month of the season — the Phils kept winning. But then Kyle Schwarber was pulled from his ninth-inning at-bat on Friday against the Miami Marlins.
A sore back kept him out over the weekend and through Monday's game until he pinch-hit in the ninth inning. His swing didn't look quite right. The good news, at least, was that his back recovered enough for Tuesday's contest.
Catcher J.T. Realmuto also disappeared from the lineup over the weekend and missed his third straight game with a sore knee on Tuesday. The Phillies don't seem concerned yet and haven't even sent Realmuto for testing.
The newest ailment to hit the top of the order was a late scratch just before Tuesday's first pitch. After originally being in the lineup in his customary three spot, Bryce Harper was scratched with a migraine. He appeared in the dugout later in the game.
It's still a concerning development when you think back to Mets catcher Tomás Nido rattling a ball off Harper's helmet on a return throw to the pitcher during Monday's game. There's good news there, however. After Tuesday's game, manager Rob Thomson said that Harper felt better and that the migraine wasn't related to the incident with Nido, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber.
Hopefully, Schwarber's back remains good to go, and Realmuto and Harper are back in the lineup soon. The offense has been good enough for now, but there's no replacing those bats at the top of the order.