Aaron Nola pitched 8 1/3 innings and won his first game since Opening Day to help the visiting Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Thursday and earn a split of the four-game series.
Nola was lifted after allowing a one-out double to Matt Olson in the ninth inning. He was relieved by Corey Knebel, who got the final two outs but allowed a run to score on a wild pitch.
Nola (2-4) allowed one run on five hits and struck out a season-high 10 batters to end a four-game losing streak. It was his 23rd career game with double-digit strikeouts and gave him the National League lead with 74. It was Nola’s first win in Atlanta since 2019.
The losing pitcher was Kyle Wright (4-3), who pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on three hits and two walks, with five strikeouts.
The Phillies got a run in the third inning on a leadoff homer from J.T. Realmuto, his third homer of the season. Philadelphia loaded the bases but failed to score when Wright struck out Alec Bohm and got Bryce Harper to hit into a double play.
Philadelphia scored two more runs in the seventh, with a two-out rally. Kyle Schwarber walked and Realmuto was hit by a pitch, a play that was upheld on video review. Odubel Herrera then greeted reliever Will Smith by lining his first pitch into the right-field corner for a two-run double. Herrera is now 6-for-9 in his career against Smith.
The Phillies added an insurance run in the eighth when Nick Castellanos doubled home Harper. Center fielder Guillermo Heredia almost made a highlight-reel catch, but the ball seemed to bounce out of his glove after he banged into the fence.
The Braves played without left fielder Marcell Ozuna, who was a late scratch with a lower abdominal strain, and right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who missed his second game with a right groin strain.
–Field Level Media