CY OF RELIEF
Nola fans 11 in seven innings to give Phils much-needed win over Mets
PHILADELPHIA >> Aaron Nola struck out 11 in seven impressive innings to stay unbeaten at Citizens Bank Park, pitching the Phillies past the Mets 4-2 on Friday night. Asdrubal Cabrera hit an RBI double off former teammate Noah Syndergaard during a three-run first inning, and Nola made the early lead stand up.
Nola (14-3) one run on three hits with one walk while lowering his ERA in 2.24. The All-Star is even better at home, improving to 9-0 with a 2.00 mark in 12 starts in Philadelphia this season. Pat Neshek pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save in as many chances. Syndergaard (8-3) allowed four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 5 2⁄3 innings.
Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro also drove in runs for the playoff-contending Phillies. Cabrera’s double put the Phillies ahead and Williams followed with an RBI single. Cabrera, traded from the Mets to Philadelphia last month, scored on Carlos Santana’s double-play groundout. That was more than enough for Nola, who struck out the side in the first and retired nine of the first 10 Mets. The only batter that reached during that stretch, Jose Bautista, got on because of an error by second baseman Cesar Hernandez. It made it 94 errors for Philadelphia, which began play second in the majors to St. Louis (95). New York got its lone run off Nola in the fourth. Jeff McNeil led off with a single, the first hit off Nola, went to third on Austin Jackson’s single and scored on Todd Frazier’s sacrifice fly.