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Aaron Nola Stays In the Fight, Rhys Hoskins Delivers Knockout Blow for Phils

Bob Wankel

By Bob Wankel

Published:

PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Nola may not have been as good on Saturday night at Coors Field as he was a week ago during his 109-pitch complete game shutout of the Cardinals, but he was good enough to help the Phils grab an important win and even up their series with the Rockies.

Nola came into his latest outing fresh off a masterful performance against St. Louis, but he also came in with some ominous numbers in games following 100+ pitch outings.

Last season, Nola exceeded 100 pitches on five different occasions. He posted a 4.94 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in the five starts that followed, allowing 28 hits and 15 earned runs over 27 1/3 innings.

After failing to protect an early 4-1 lead by allowing a game-tying homer to Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon, he appeared poised to continue the trend.

On the ropes at 80 pitches through five innings, Nola would bear down to get through the sixth in order with just 11 pitches. He needed just 10 more to complete the seventh, providing the Phillies with some much-needed length after an already short bullpen pitched four-plus innings on Friday night.

“That pitch to McMahon, I kind of pulled my changeup and he put a good swing on it, which is kind of a dagger,” Nola said. “But I felt in my delivery in the sixth and seventh there my command was a little bit better. I was getting ahead of guys. My tempo was better.”

Rhys Hoskins’ Huge Night

With his father in the stands at Coors Field, Rhys Hoksins had himself a night. The first baseman delivered a pair of homers in a 5 RBI effort to power a slumping Phillies offense.

With his team trailing 1-0 in the third, Hoskins, who has raised his OPS from .735 to .873 in just two games, delivered a two-run shot to put the Phillies on the board.

After Nola had yielded the three-run lead in the fifth, he countered with a three-run blast:

His second homer of the night — and his fourth in four games — puts him just one off the league lead. It also helped bail his teammates out following some poorly-executed situational baseball and a failed gamble.

With two runners on and no outs, a Nola sacrifice bunt attempt sat down too middle, allowing Rockies reliever Jhoulys Chacin to get the lead runner at third.

With Andrew McCutchen at the plate and now one away, Roman Quinn was thrown out after an attempted steal of third base. Quinn’s decision appeared to be a rally-killer, but Hoskins wasn’t having it.

“I’m just missing a lot less pitches right now,” Hoskins said. “There’s still a little bit to clean up and really kind of just let the swing, and the work and the prep show up in the game. I’m still fighting myself a little bit, but, obviously, I’m really happy with the results tonight. I’m glad we came away with the win, we needed it.”

On the Quinn Steal Attempt

Let’s talk about Quinn’s failed sixth-inning steal attempt.

I wasn’t a fan of it.

Quinn’s speed will allow him to score on virtually any hit that leaves the infield at the spacious Coors Field.

Certainly, a successful steal attempt allows him to score on a sacrifice fly or perhaps a well-placed batted ball in the infield. Just one small issue.

McCutchen has been one of the game’s most ground ball heavy hitters this season, producing such contact on 56.5% of his batted balls. Quinn went on his own, so Nola didn’t trail behind (nor should he have), meaning the Phillies didn’t even receive the benefit of eliminating a potential double play.

The question of the matter becomes whether or not the risk is worth the reward in this spot. I say no, but I asked Joe Girardi about the play following the game. He offered a different perspective.

So there you have it.

Bob Wankel
Bob Wankel

Bob Wankel covers the Phillies for Crossing Broad. He is also the Vice President of Sports Betting Content at SportRadar. On Twitter: @Bob_Wankel E-mail: b.wankel@sportradar.com

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