Phillies End Tough Trip With ‘great Win' Led By 3 Guys Who Needed A Night Like This

Phillies end tough trip with ‘great win' led by 3 guys who needed a night like this originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CHICAGO — All 26 players in the Phillies’ clubhouse needed a weekend like this after what transpired at Citi Field to begin their road trip but it had to be sweeter for three in particular.

Aaron Nola, Trea Turner and Jordan Romano have been maligned through the season’s first month and were among the most important players in Sunday’s 3-1, extra-inning win.

Nola entered 0-5 with a 6.43 ERA and pitched seven innings of one-run ball. He had his best four-seam fastball, two-seamer and cutter of the season, his best velocity and command. He generated a season-high 16 swinging strikes and worked ahead of 17 of the 24 hitters he faced. He lowered his ERA by more than a full run to 5.40.

Turner began the night hitting .245 with only five extra-base hits in 111 plate appearances. He went 3-for-5, driving in two of the Phillies’ three runs. His 10th-inning RBI infield single was massive in giving Romano one more run of breathing room. Turner hit a groundball to third base but Vidal Brujan was playing back, which allowed the speedy shortstop just enough time to reach first safely.

And Romano, who’s allowed so many runs already that his ERA would still be above 3.00 even with 30 straight scoreless innings, rebounded after taking the loss in extras Wednesday with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th.

“That was a great win tonight, it really was,” manager Rob Thomson said.

It sent the Phillies back home at 15-13 and snapped a streak of three straight road series losses.

“We were just looking for a break,” Turner said. “Yesterday in that inning with six runs, we got some lucky hits there. Sometimes you need things to fall your way to build some momentum. Sometimes you need a little light at the end of the tunnel to build that confidence. Hopefully that’s the start of some pretty good baseball.”

Sunday was Turner’s 99th multi-hit game as a Phillie. They’ve gone 70-29. He can make so much happen with his bat and legs when he’s in rhythm at the plate and has proven for three different teams that he can carry an offense. He’s been as streaky as any Phillie in his three seasons and started the year colder than the previous two.

This game, in front of a national audience, was a reminder of the skill set that landed him a $300 million contract.

“That’s what he can do — he can change a game with his legs, with his power, with his hitting ability,” Thomson said. “He can change a game and that’s what he did tonight. Got the base-hit through the 5-6 hole and then beats out an infield hit to add on. It was huge.”

Especially so because on Wednesday, the Phillies scored the ghost runner but no one else in top of the 10th, ultimately falling to the Mets when Romano allowed two in the bottom half. Pitching under these extra-inning rules is completely different with a multi-run lead than the narrow one-run margin.

“It’s huge, it really is,” Romano said. “The boys get that extra run across and you don’t have to worry about the guy on second base. The tying run is at the plate but you’re not too concerned about the bunt, about being quick to the plate. You can kinda take your time on your pitches.”

Romano was the last of four pitchers the Phillies used on Sunday. Nola, Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado and Romano combined to allow three hits and a walk in 10 innings against a Cubs offense that leads the league in runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging and stolen bases.

For Nola, it was the kind of start that should calm down some of his many critics and reinforce that he can still pitch at a high level regardless of the opponent.

“That was vintage Noles,” Turner said. “All his pitches were working, curveball was really good. He’s had some tough luck with the weather. Today was slightly better. He was back to his old self. He’s gonna be good for us, not worried about him at all.”

The velocity is creeping up. Nola threw three of his four fastest pitches of the season — 93.4 mph, 93.4 and 93.2 — and was mostly 92. His two-seamer was up by more than 1 mph. This has always been the case for Nola, whose career velocity before May 1 is 91.4 and after May 1 is 92.3.

But it’s about command more than anything for him. Cubs manager Craig Counsell was interviewed in-game and emphasized that Nola wasn’t just throwing strike zone but throwing a quality pitch for strike one.

“That’s Noles — he doesn’t get fired up about much,” Thomson said. “He doesn’t panic. He just goes about his business. He knows he’s good and that if he has a bad outing, he’s gonna bounce back. He’s got a slow heartbeat all the time.”

The Phillies are off Monday before hosting the Nationals for three games. Zack Wheeler gets the ball Tuesday as they look to make it three in a row.