Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Nola finishes strong in latest loss
PHILADELPHIA » Aaron Nola started the season coming off a winter of rehabilitating a worrisome arm problem. He was just three starts into the season when back problems sidelined him in late April.
It didn’t appear that Nola was going to return to the form he’d flashed as a rookie in 2015. As it turned out ... he surpassed that level.
Without proper run support, Nola likely finished his season Monday night by taking the loss in a 3-1 setback to the Washington Nationals. But once again, as manager Pete Mackanin pointed out, “he gave us a chance to win.”
That’s all Nola says he wants to do on any given night, and looking back on his season, that’s largely what he did for most of his work nights. Despite a slow start as his arm needed to strengthen and through the strained back setback, Nola finished the season at 12-11, but with an enviable 3.54 ERA through 168 innings pitched.
He is the rock of the Phillies starting rotation, one that is full of holes and in need of much offseason work. But at least there is Nola with which to build around.
“The goal is to have five guys (like that) for every start,” Mackanin said. “But it’s nice. When Nola pitches, we all expect to win. The bats were silent tonight but he’s done an outstanding job.”
After the month-long sideline stay with the back problem, Nola returned May 21 and pitched great in a 1-0 loss to the Pirates. He effectively had set the tone for the remainder of his season.
What surprised even him was the way he’d rack up strikeouts through the season. In retiring nine Nationals on strikes Monday night during his six-inning stint, Nola has totaled 184 strikeouts in 27 starts. It is the most ever by a Phillies pitcher who made fewer than 30 starts in a season.
His best work came at home, where he posted a 2.98 ERA in 14 starts this season. Only a two-run Michael Taylor homer in the second inning marred what likely was his final outing of the season, enough to saddle him with yet another loss he really didn’t deserve. And yet...
“Better than last year,” Nola summarized. “I stayed healthy all year except for the back issue I had early on. But I feel I stayed within myself and stayed with my routine pretty much all year pretty well. So going into next year I just want to build on things I still have to work on.”
His curve this season hit an elite level. Indeed, that was his out pitch on about half his strikeouts. And the changeup that Nola fully developed at about midseason has turned him into a fourpitch threat to opposing batters. So what exactly does he need to keep working on?
“I think everything,” he said. “I definitely want to keep working on my changeup, get more consistent with that and just the command of all my pitches, especially my fastball.”
With some better luck with his health, Nola says one goal for next season is to surpass the 200-inning mark.
“My plan is to just try to limit the amount of pitches in an inning and try not to show the guy too much,” Nola said. “But when you get to two strikes why not try to strike a guy out? I feel like just the command and getting ahead of hitters really helped that this year.”