Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
As Arrieta struggles with bone spur, Nola stays hot
NEW YORK >> Jake Arrieta’s recent struggles, including such an inability Saturday to command pitches that it nearly caused an on-field brawl, officially has an explanation.
According to Gabe Kapler, Arrieta has a bone spur in his pitching arm, requiring that he rest through the AllStar break, undergo evaluation and then face a decision about treatment.
“He’s had it for a little while,” Kapler said Sunday at Citi Field, before the Phillies’ 8-3 victory over the New York Mets. “He’s the toughest guy out there and has wanted to pitch through it. And we always respect the competitor that Jake is.
“He’s going to get evaluated in the next few days by our team doctors and we’ll do what’s best at that point for Jake and the Phillies.”
In a 6-5 loss Saturday, Arrieta lasted only 4.1 innings and threw just 49 of his 75 pitches for strikes. When he hit Todd Frazier with an off-speed pitch, the veteran Mets third baseman howled in protest and was ejected. Arrieta said later that if Frazier chose to escalate the issue, he would “put a dent in his skull.”
Arrieta first reported his pain to Kapler last week, with his recent outings suggesting a problem. After allowing two hits in six innings June 19 at Washington, Arrieta was stung for 26 hits over his next 16.1 innings, including 11 Saturday.
“I labored physically,” he said. “I wasn’t able to put the ball where I wanted to. It’s been that way for a few weeks. Just physically not in a great spot.”
By Sunday morning, Arrieta would meet with Kapler, agreeing to rest and medical evaluation through the AllStar break. There was no particular, immediate discussion of surgery.
“I think luckily we have the AllStar break to kind of evaluate,” Kapler said. “It’s important to get some feedback from our team doctors before we cross that bridge.”
Struggling to find reliable starting pitching, the Phillies’ playoff hopes would be diminished with the loss of Arrieta. The veteran right-hander, however, indicated that he could continue to pitch through his physical trouble.
“The more information we can get from Jake and from our team doctors,” Kapler said, “the better equipped we are to make good decisions on behalf of both Jake for the long term and for the Philadelphia Phillies.” Arrieta is 8-6 with a 4.43 ERA. “It’ll get right,” he said. “I just need to figure out how to do it.”
••• Aaron Nola has figured things out. In a fourth consecutive strong outing Sunday, he allowed two hits in 6.1 innings to improve his record to 8-2. Nola had a no-hitter going until Pete Alonso’s sixth-inning, two-run homer.
“My off-speed pitches were working pretty well,” he said. “My fastball honestly didn’t feel great today. I kind of felt like it wasn’t jumping as good. But I was throwing my offspeed pitches for strikes in the zone.
“I’ve just been commanding the ball better, early in the count too. I’m throwing my off-speed pitches for strikes. I’m throwing everything for strikes. That’s kind of opened things up for me.”
Before Alonso’s homer, Nola had pitched 22 consecutive scoreless innings.
••• Jay Bruce hit two home runs Sunday, his third multi-homer game of the season. He drove in at least a run in all three games of the series.
“Honestly, I’ve been happy with the way that I’ve hit, especially since I’ve come here and had a chance to play every day,” Bruce said. “There’s obviously room for improvement. I look to continue to get better at the plate and kind of get back to where my numbers usually are.”
The Phillies have been thankful that Bruce has provided such power following the loss of Andrew McCutchen to a knee injury.
“He’s been a huge addition to our team,” Nola said. “It was tough to see Cutch go down. He was a big part of our team. He brought the energy every day. But Bruce has fit in really well. He’s a good guy, perfect for our team. He rakes. He’s an all-around good player. He’s always positive. A veteran guy like that around a lot of our young guys is good to see. It’s good to be around.”
••• NOTES >> The Phillies hit the break having won eight of their last 13. … Only J.T. Realmuto will represent the Phillies in the All-Star Game, Tuesday night in Cleveland. Realmuto is on an eight-game hitting streak. … The Phillies will next play Friday night at 6:05 against visiting Washington. Kapler has not decided whether to come right back with Nola or allow him an extended break. … The Phillies are 47-43. They were 53-42 at the break last year. … Rhys Hoskins’ ninth-inning home run gave him 20 for the season.