Phillies Aces Shove on the Mound against Astros, Shove Phils to Winning Record
This weekend must have felt really good for Aaron Nola and Zach Wheeler.
While having dominant pitching performances in the early stretch of the Phillies magical playoff run last season, Nola and Wheeler appeared to suffer fatigue in their World Series starts against the Astros.
Nola pitched in Game 1 and Game 4 and allowed 8 earned runs and 13 hits through 8.1 combined innings.
Wheeler fared better than Nola in his championship series starts but didn’t seem to be as dominant as he usually was last season in Game 2 against the Astros. Wheeler was charged with the loss in that game after allowing 5 runs (4 earned), 6 hits, and 3 walks. In Game 6, well… Wheeler pitched well. But I know Phillies fans don’t want to talk about that loss.
It felt like a redemption series for the Phillies against the team that defeated them in the World Series. And it felt like redemption for both Nola and Wheeler.
In Friday’s game, Nola shined. He pitched 8 innings of 1-run, 3-hit ball while punching out 6 Astros. In what has been a slower start for Nola, he seemed to reel it in and lowered his ERA to 4.46. Sure, velocity concerns arose after Friday’s game, but you can’t argue with Nola’s gem at Minute Maid Park.
While the Astros have not been as good as they should be to start the season, the bats of Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Alex Bregman, and Jose Abreu are nothing to scoff at. With that being said, Nola pitched his best game of the season. He earned his 2nd win of the season as the reigning National League champions finally put their record over .500 for the first time this year.
Wheeler piggybacked Nola with an excellent start for himself. The 32-year-old right-hander earned another quality start with a scoreless 6 innings. Wheeler punched out 7 batters and only allowed 3 hits and 1 walk as the Phillies earned a series victory and extended their win streak to 4 games.
Both Nola and Wheeler’s command was on point this weekend as Nola threw 72 of his 107 pitches for strikes while Wheeler found the zone 69 times out of 104 pitches. It was a great sign to see both of them have excellent outings one after the other against a tough opponent.
The Phillies, like any other team in the MLB, are at their best when both their aces are on, not off. Now, the Astros took the last game of the series with a win on Sunday but the Phillies trip to Houston was a successful one as their win percentage increased and their best pitchers’ confidences were surely boosted. They now head to Los Angeles at the start of the week with murmurs of a certain superstar potentially making his long-awaited return.
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