Gregorius, Phillies power past Braves

Aaron Nola got enough run support that even another dismal performance by the bullpen couldn’t ruin.

Didi Gregorius hit a grand slam, Bryce Harper blasted a three-run shot and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 13-8 Monday night, giving Nola his first win in nearly a year.

Nola (1-1) allowed one run, two hits and struck out 10 in eight innings. He threw just 89 pitches but was denied an opportunity for his first career complete game in his 130th start. Two relievers gave up seven runs in the ninth.

“Obviously, I wanted to,” Nola said about finishing the game. “I understand where they’re coming from, for sure.”

Nola said he would’ve fought harder to stay in the game if it were 2-1 or 3-1. The ace righthander was 0-5 in nine starts since his last win at Boston on August 20, 2019.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi said he removed Nola because there have been many injuries to pitchers across the majors.

“My job is to protect players from themselves,” he said. “I feel bad for pulling him.”

The Phillies had lost Nola’s last nine starts, scoring only 27 runs combined in those games. NATIONALS 16, METS 4 >> Asdrubal Cabrera homered twice and drove in five runs, tormenting his former team again as Washington routed New York.

Juan Soto and Trea Turner went deep in the third inning for the Nationals, who had scored just 11 runs in their previous five games — including Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, which was suspended in the sixth with Washington trailing 5-2.

Cabrera, who played in 374 games for the Mets from 2016-18, homered for the Nationals’ first run, doubled leading off the fourth, laced a two-run double in the fifth and hit a two-run homer in the seventh.

Cabrera is batting .452 (14 for 31) with three homers and 11 RBIs in eight games against the Mets since the Nationals signed him on Aug. 6, 2019.

TIGERS 5, WHITE SOX 1 >> JaCoby Jones hit an inside-the-park home run in the seventh inning and Detroit breezed to its fourth straight victory.

Niko Goodrum homered and had four hits for the Tigers, who handed Chicago its fifth loss in six games.

White Sox slugger Jose Abreu came up limping after grounding out in the eighth and left the game.

The Tigers improved to 9-5 on the year after losing 114 games in 2019.

Detroit was up 3-1 in the seventh when center fielder Adam Engel went for a lunging catch on a sinking liner by Jones. Engel missed, and it’s a long way out to the wall in center field at Comerica Park. Jones circled the bases and scored standing up for a tworun homer, his fifth of the season.

Michael Fulmer pitched three scoreless innings for Detroit, and Daniel Norris (1-1) worked two. Gregory Soto went 1 1/3 hitless innings in relief.

Dallas Keuchel (2-2) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings.