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| Aaron Nola took the loss on Wednesday against the Blue Jays. | PHOTO: Kurt Simmons |
Aaron Nola struggled to get through five frames, and the offense failed to string hits together on Wednesday in Philadelphia's 5-3 loss to Toronto at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies entered the day riding an 11-game winning streak at home, one victory shy of the record of 12 straight wins set in 2010.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pushed across George Springer with a single in the third. The Phillies countered in the bottom of the frame with Bryston Stott working a leadoff walk before eventually scoring on a Kyle Schwarber sacrifice fly to right.
Toronto took the lead in the sixth while chasing Nola with Bo Bichette, Davis Schneider, and Kevin Kiermaier delivering a trio of RBI singles. Schneider also scored in the eighth via another Kiermaier single.
"I thought earlier in the game Nola's strike-to-ball ratio wasn't like it usually is," said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. "Then in about the third inning he got it and really settled in nice, but then he missed some spots in the sixth."
The Phillies rallied in the ninth with Brandon Marsh scoring on a Stott double, but Kody Clemens and Whit Merrifield failed to deliver with the tying runners on base.
Toronto starter Chris Basitt recorded the win, surrendering two runs on three hits over 6 1/3 innings. He whiffed six and walked two.
"He kept us off balance," Thomson said. "Cutter, fastball, and the slow curveball. He pitched well, and you have to give him credit. I also have to give our guys credit because they came back and had the tying run on second base in the ninth, and they kept fighting."
The loss drops the Phillies to 26-12 on the season with a .684 winning percentage, still the best mark in all of baseball. The Phillies also maintain a 2 1/2 game lead over Atlanta, though the Braves will face Boston on Wednesday night.
"We've really played well, but we've played well on the road too," Thomson said. "Today was one of those days, but I'm really happy with where the club is at. It was a good homestand and I always say you want to win your division, and you need to win at home to win your division, so we accomplished that."
Wednesday's effort marked the second consecutive subpar outing for Nola. He surrendered four runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 frames. He tossed just four innings in his previous start last week against the Giants, needing 89 pitches while allowing two runs on four hits. He also walked four.
Nola acknowledged he missed some of his spots in the sixth and admitted he's struggling right now to get his fastball ball down in the zone.
"I felt like a few a couple of them down, but I'm battling out there," Nola said. "Obviously, trying to get the ball down is what got me to this point, and I feel like it's just not as consistent at this point.
"I have to keep working at it and get the ball down and keep just moving the ball around the plate."
Nick Castellanos doubled in the seventh and finished with two hits on the afternoon, while Johan Rojas snapped an 0-for-12 skid with a base hit in the third.
Jordan Romano collected his fifth save of the season for the Blue Jays, but not before surrendering three hits and a run in the final frame.
"Heck, we were one swing away," said Kyle Schwarber who finished 0-for-3 with the sac-fly. "That's the positive thing, and we've been playing some really good baseball. There's going to be times when you're going to get beat, and I think that's the beautiful part of this game.
"Obviously, we wish we executed up there a little bit more, especially on the offensive side of the ball against Bassitt, but sometimes you got to tip your cap."
The Phillies have an off day before opening a three-game set on Friday with the struggling Marlins in Miami. Ranger Suarez will start the series opener.
