Atlanta rookie Spencer Strider outduels Aaron Nola
(Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)
Final Score: Braves 6, Phillies 3
Aaron Nola was unable to continue his first half resurgance tonight as the Braves potent lineup tagged him early and often. There was no margin for error as the Phillies offense provided Nola with paltry run support, as usual this season. Meanwhile, Atlanta rookie Spencer Strider pitched brilliantly to secure the win.
From the first inning, when Dansby Swanson scored on an Austin Riley double, you could see Nola was not his sharpest. Michael Harris II added a home run in the third on an 0-2 count and Eddie Rosario added an RBI single to make it 3-0 Braves in the fourth.
Matt Olson extended the lead to 5-0 with a two-run home run in the fifth – his fourth homer versus the Phillies this season.
Spencer Strider, the highly-touted rookie starter, held the Phillies lineup to just three hits. Two of those came off the bat of Alec Bohm who extended his hitting streak to 11 games, going 2-4 with two singles. He has hit safely in 20 of 21 games and his .429 batting average in the month of July leads all of baseball.
The third hit came in the sixth inning – Kyle Schwarber’s NL-leading 31st home run of the season.
J.T. Realmuto added a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth off Braves reliever Will Smith, but the Phillies comeback ultimately fell short.
Tomorrow afternoon’s rubber match will feature Kyle Gibson (5-4, 4.69 ERA) versus Flemington, NJ native Charlie Morton (5-4, 4.20 ERA).
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
- Spencer Strider cruised early allowing just one run on three hits through six innings. In his 11th career start tonight, he recorded six strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 2.91.
- Aaron Nola could not find a rhythm in his first start since the All-Star break. Despite the seven strikeouts, there were no easy outs as the Braves battled him for five earned runs on seven hits. His streak of pitching at least seven innings in his past eight starts ended tonight.
Aaron Nola is putting together an excellent season; however the team is just 8-12 in games he starts.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Wednesday, July 27 vs. Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park
- 12:35 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
- Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680
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