Harper Delivers in Game 1, Nola Unravels in Game 2 as Phillies Split with Cardinals

One game felt like it belonged in a postseason reel. The other felt like it might never end.

That’s how Wednesday unfolded for the Phillies in a split doubleheader against the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park — an afternoon of timely hits and pitching grit followed by a night filled with loud contact, pitching woes, and a scoreboard that couldn’t change fast enough.

Game 1 had all the makings of a grind-it-out Phillies win. Bryce Harper reached base three times, including a two-out bloop single in the seventh that drove in Rafael Marchan and gave the Phillies a 2-1 comeback victory. It was the kind of hit that doesn’t sound like much off the bat — unless you're watching from the opposing dugout. It capped a four-hit seventh inning rally, all singles, after the Phillies entered the frame with just three hits all afternoon.

The go-ahead run came only after a pivotal moment involving Marchan, who was originally ruled out trying to stretch a single but was awarded the base after replay showed Brendan Donovan tagged Marchan’s helmet — which had fallen off — and not Marchan himself. Given new life, the Phillies took full advantage, with Bryson Stott tying the game on an infield roller before Harper delivered the winner.

Jesús Luzardo was sharp, going seven innings and allowing just one run on five hits while striking out six. Jordan Romano finished it off by striking out the side in the ninth to earn his fourth save.

But if the opener was a study in execution and timely breaks, the nightcap was a crash course in what happens when everything goes wrong at once.

Aaron Nola, looking to build some momentum, instead endured the worst start of his career. He allowed a career-high nine runs on 12 hits across just 3 2/3 innings. Three of those hits left the yard. His ERA climbed to 6.16, and whatever optimism he had built up in recent weeks vanished somewhere between the second and third home run.

"They didn't miss any balls over the plate tonight, and I didn't do my job well at all," Nola said. "Guys gave me good run support - hit the ball really well, and I didn't get it done ... my put away stuff wasn't good tonight, obviously."  

The Phillies did their best to keep pace early, tagging Cardinals starter Sonny Gray for seven runs of their own — also in 3 2/3 innings — but the rest of the night belonged to St. Louis. The Cardinals piled up 19 hits and battered not just Nola, but Taijuan Walker and Carlos Hernandez, too. Every batter in their starting lineup had at least one hit. Five had multiple.

What began as a day to snap a nine-game Cardinals winning streak turned into a reminder that the Phillies’ pitching - aside from Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, and Luzardo - remains inconsistent. And it’s not just a Nola problem. Remove Wheeler, Sánchez, and Luzardo from the mix, and the Phillies’ staff ERA jumps from a respectable 3.90 to a forehead-scrunching 4.77.

Nola has now allowed 13 earned runs over his last three starts. His curveball no longer has bite, his fastball is getting barreled, and his command is inconsistent. With each outing, the questions grow louder. He's now 1-7.

"I don't have any other answer tonight besides terrible," Nola said.

Kyle Schwarber’s major-league-leading 47-game on-base streak quietly ended in the opener with an 0-for-4, but by the end of the night, that too felt like a footnote.

So the Phillies settled for a split. Thursday brings a day off before the Pirates come to town for a weekend set.

After a day like this, they could use the breather.