Phillies can’t catch up to deGrom, lose stellar Nola outing

Final Score: Mets 1, Phillies 0

NEW YORK — Aaron Nola vs. Jacob deGrom was the marquee pitching matchup of the weekend and it did not disappoint. deGrom struck out 10 over six innings, but was limited to just 76 pitches. Of those 76 pitches deGrom threw, 25 percent of them were swung at and missed. In other words, he was unhittable. That was expected.

“He’s tough. 100 mile per hour fastball. Great slider. He’s got good stuff,” Rob Thomson said. “He comes as advertised, but Nola does too. Nola pitched great.”

Nola threw a complete game — and lost. A first inning RBI single from Pete Alonso was enough to hand the Mets their 10th victory of the season against the Phillies. Starling Marte scored the winning run after stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error from J.T. Realmuto.

In a way, the Phillies were lucky to get deGrom after only making two previous starts this year. Mets manager Buck Showalter did not push deGrom past 76 pitches, which is the amount he threw in his last outing against Atlanta. He is not currently lined up to pitch against the Phillies next weekend at Citizens Bank Park, but things can always change.

The Phillies had three chances to tie the game against the Mets bullpen, but Seth Lugo, Trevor May and Edwin Díaz combined to throw three scoreless innings to close it out. Kyle Schwarber, who sat out Friday’s game with a calf strain, pinch hit for Matt Vierling in the bottom of the eighth inning. He flew out to center for the final out of the inning. Nick Castellanos had the tying and go-ahead run in scoring position with two outs in the ninth against Diaz, but struck out on a 3-2 slider to end the game.

Despite the loss, it should not be discounted that Nola was stellar in a playoff-like environment. His past performances in big September matchups have not been up to par and because of that, he’s carried a reputation for not being a big game pitcher. Tonight, he threw in front of the ninth-largest regular season crowd in Citi Field history and went toe-to-toe with one of the best pitchers of his generation.

That’s an encouraging sign for the Phillies pitcher, who has looked more like an ace this season. Saturday’s start lowered his season ERA to 3.07. It’s the fifth time he’s thrown at least eight innings this season, which is a career high.

The Phillies have a chance to win the series on Sunday afternoon. Former Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler will face Chris Bassett in the finale of this highly entertaining three-game weekend set.

Shibe Vintage Sports Notes

• Saturday marked just the second time Díaz walked two batters in an outing this season.
• Nola is second in MLB with five starts in which he has thrown at least eight innings. Sandy Alcantara leads the pack with 10.
• Saturday was the Phillies’ third 1-0 loss this season. Prior to this season, the Phillies’ last 1-0 loss was May 21, 2017 against the Pirates.
• Nola became the first Phillie since Kyle Kendrick to throw a complete game at Citi Field since April 26, 2013.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Sunday, Aug 14 vs. New York Mets at Citi Field
• 1:40 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia; MLB Network (out-of-market)
• Radio: Sportsradio 94 WIP

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