Philadelphia Phillies Down Astros as Nola Tosses Gem
The Philadelphia Phillies took down the Houston Astros 3-1 on Friday evening as Aaron Nola turned in his best performance of the season against the reigning World Series champions.
The Phillies (14-13) improved their record to over .500 for the first time this season as they continue to surge and look like the team they were expected to be entering the 2023 MLB season.
Nola took the mound and turned in a 8.0 inning, one earned run performance. He also struck out six and his lone run allowed came via a Jeremy Peña solo home run in the first inning.
He recovered well and gave his team a chance at the win. He was also the only Phillies starter to pitch into the eighth inning this season.
Nola was credited with the win and lowered his ERA to 4.46.
Jose Alvarado came on in the ninth and slammed the door shut on Houston, earning him his fifth save.
Offensively, Kyle Schwarber looked great as he quickly got things started with a solo home run in the first inning. Cristian Pache then recorded an RBI-double to score Edmundo Sosa.
Philadelphia got their insurance run in the seventh when Brandon Marsh notched an RBI-single to make it 3-1.
Marsh entered the game after Pache exited with a knee injury from slipping on second base. The extent of his injury is still unknown.
Overall, it was an excellent all-around win for the Phillies as they took down the Astros who placed their ace Framber Valdez on the mound.
Philadelphia will go for the series win against the Astros on Saturday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. ET and Zack Wheeler (2-1, 4.73) will take the mound against Cristian Javier (2-0, 3.21)
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