Aaron Nola extended the streak of stellar starting pitching for the Phillies by delivering eight strong innings, allowing only two runs on four hits. This performance helped Philadelphia secure an 8-2 victory over the struggling Chicago White Sox on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.
Nola's lone blemish came via a Eloy Jimenez two-run homer in the opening frame.
The Phillies answered with three runs of their own in the first inning, capitalizing on a pair of walks and a fielding error. The offense stayed steady with Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Alec Bohm each driving in a run in the fourth. Kyle Schwarber added the final two runs with a solo homer in the sixth and a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Johan Rojas finished the day with a pair of hits, raising his batting average to .264 on the season. He also stole a base and became the first Phillies player to collect a stolen base in four consecutive games since Cesar Hernandez did so back in June 2015.
"You go into a series and play a team that hasn't been playing well, I get a little fearful of how we're going to respond," said manager Rob Thomson. "Our guys responded really well, so now we have to keep it going."
As for Nola, the outing marked the first time he's tossed at least seven frames in back-to-back starts since August of last year. He's also allowed two runs or less in each of his four starts. Though he only threw 91 pitches, Thomson had little interest in having him go out another inning for a complete game.
"He pitched great and threw a lot of strikes, the curve ball was good, plus we're getting to the point now where we have to get some of our bullpen guys in," Thomson said. "I really wasn't thinking about it [complete game], I actually was thinking about taking him out after seven, but his stuff was still good."
The Phillies are now set to face the Cincinnati Reds in a four-game series starting on Monday. Left-handed pitcher Ranger Suarez will take the mound for the opener, opposing the Reds' right-hander Hunter Greene.
"I feel like our pitching staff has been throwing the ball really well, and we've been playing some solid defense," Schwarber said. "The at-bats are what we are liking to see, so as we keep going, we need to continue trending up and we'll take the result at the end of the day."
Now riding a six-game winning streak, the Phillies head on the road with a 14-8 record. At this same point last year, the club was 10-12.
"It's nice to see a record over .500 and know you're playing solid baseball," Schwarber said. "I think the thing is just making sure we continue to fight. That's something that benefited us the last few years. Instances where we started slow, but we were able to keep fighting throughout the course of the year. I think we'll keep fighting and get to where we need to be at the end of the year."
