Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola will try to win his fourth consecutive start on Saturday night when he faces the host Milwaukee Brewers in the second contest of their three-game series.
Nola (12-8, 4.30 ERA) threw seven shutout innings in his most recent outing last Sunday, limiting the visiting St. Louis Cardinals to one hit while striking out nine and walking one in a 3-0 victory.
He also has beaten the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays during his winning streak, two teams fighting for wild-card spots in their respective leagues.
“I feel good, the body feels really good — all physically and mentally,” Nola said after his last start. “Hopefully I keep it going. I’m just going to have a good work week this week and stay healthy in September.”
Nola said one of the keys to his success lately has been getting ahead of hitters.
“I’m throwing better pitches,” he said. “I’m going deeper in the game, (getting) early outs.”
Nola faced the Brewers on July 18 in Philadelphia and won that game too, limiting Milwaukee to three runs (two earned) and four hits in 7 1/3 innings of a 4-3 victory.
Overall, he’s enjoyed considerable success against the Brewers, owning a 6-1 record with a 2.30 ERA in 11 career starts.
The Phillies (74-60) dropped the series opener 7-5 on Friday night.
The Brewers (75-59) enter the day with a 3 1/2-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League Central.
Milwaukee, which has won 10 of its past 12 games, made a move to bolster its lineup heading down the stretch and potentially into the postseason, signing veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson to a minor-league contract on Thursday.
Donaldson, 37, struggled with injuries with the New York Yankees and hit just .142 in 34 games before he was released on Tuesday.
Donaldson is a three-time All-Star and won the American League MVP award in 2015 with the Blue Jays. As recently as the 2021 season, he hit 26 homers in 135 games for the Minnesota Twins.
“Certainly, you look at the pedigree of this guy and what he’s accomplished in the game, I think walking in the door he has instant credibility and a presence that could help us,” Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said. “He comes in with an MVP, he’s been a multiple-time All-Star, and we think he has a chance to help.”
Donaldson will report to Triple-A Nashville but could join the Brewers in the coming days.
The Brewers have rookie Andruw Monasterio playing most of the innings at third base, but he hit just .211 in August after batting .329 in July.
Adrian Houser would have been in line to start on the mound Saturday, but he left after two innings against the San Diego Padres on Sunday because of minor right forearm tightness.
The Brewers announced on Friday that Colin Rea will be recalled from Triple-A Nashville and will be the starting pitcher instead.
Rea (5-5, 5.11) last pitched for the Brewers on Aug. 4 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, surrendering six runs and eight hits in four innings of an 8-4 loss. He was demoted to Nashville the next day.
Rea is 0-2 with a 3.71 ERA in three career starts against the Phillies.
–Field Level Media