Aaron Nola holds Mariners to two runs in loss

Nola allowed five hits without walking anyone in his 100-pitch outing. The veteran right-hander has pitched far better lately after posting a 6.04 ERA through the end of June. Since then, he has given up more than three earned runs just once. Given that he’s 33 and signed through 2030, the turnaround has been a much-needed development for reasons beyond this season. Nola will look to continue his second-half rebound next time out against the Mariners in Seattle.

The 33-year-old right-hander scattered five hits and three walks on the night. The lone tally against him came on a solo blast off the bat of Luke Keaschall in the second inning. Nola had traffic on the basepaths and was in trouble a few times but was always able to make key pitches to get out of it. We’ll see if this magical start can springboard him into a successful final six weeks of the season. Now 4-9 on the season, he’ll carry an uninspiring 5.33 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a 138/46 K/BB ratio (130 innings) into Wednesday’s tilt against the Marlins.

The bad news is the contusion forced Nola to his outing after he allowed two runs over five innings. The good news is that imaging revealed no structural damage. The to-be-determined news is that Nola will undergo further evaluation in the coming days to determine if he can make his next scheduled start next week.

After allowing two runs through five innings, Nola was drilled after his second pitch of the sixth, a 105-mph shot from Jesús Sánchez. He was in the midst of one of his better showings before departing. He struck out eight for the fourth time this year. The third strikeout made him the 93rd pitcher in MLB history to reach 2,000.

Nola walked two and struck out five while throwing 62 percent of his pitches for strikes and posting an 11 percent CSW on the day. As per usual, Nola had most of his success with his curveball in this one, posting a 74 percent strike rate and a 32 percent swinging strike rate on the pitch. No other pitch really missed many bats. That said, this is Nola’s second straight usable start in fantasy leagues, and he gets the Blue Jays, Twins, and Marlins in his next starts. The Phillies didn’t add a starter at the deadline, so they need him to get going.

Nola is now 3-9 on the season, but this one is hardly his fault. The only run allowed was a solo homer from Kyle Stowers, but that’s one more run allowed than Sandy Alcantara and a pair of Miami relievers. That being said, there was a smidgen of good luck that he only gave up the one run, as he gave up five hits and three walks before exiting in the sixth frame. Still, it’s nice to see some effectiveness from what was one of the best hurlers in the league not that long ago. He’ll faced the Nationals on Monday if there’s no change to the rotation order.

Nola was coming off three solid outings in a row, but the Dodgers had two homers and eight additional hard-hit balls off him. He’s now surrendered 25 homers in 108 1/3 innings this year. When he topped the NL with 30 homers allowed two years ago, it was in 199 1/3 innings. He’s 3-8 with a 5.82 ERA ahead of a date with the Marlins next week.

Nola racked up six strikeouts on the night while issuing four free passes. All of the damage that was done against him came via the long ball, with Francisco Alvarez crushing a solo homer in the third inning then Brett Baty and Alvarez going back-to-back to open the seventh. Nola got 16 swings and misses on 97 pitches on the evening, posting a strong CSW of 35 percent. He’ll carry a 5.68 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a 108/35 K/BB ratio (103 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Dodgers.

Nola will start on Thursday, there will then be a day off to accommodate the World Cup Final, and then Luzardo and Rangel will throw on Saturday and Sunday. The Phillies could have chosen to use Zack Wheeler on normal rest this weekend, but the veteran will likely get a two-start week against the Dodgers and Yankees instead.

Nola piled up eight strikeouts in the contest while issuing a pair of walks. All of the damage done against him came on one mighty swing of the bat by Kevin McGonigle in the third inning. Aside from that, Nola was in complete command. He got 14 swings and misses on 84 pitches on the night — six of those on his knuckle curve — registering a CSW of 31 percent. The 33-year-old righty heads into the All-Star break with a 3-6 5.75 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and a 102/31 K/BB ratio over 97 innings through his first 19 starts. Aside from the strikeouts, he has been an unmitigated disaster for fantasy purposes.