Phillies second starter Aaron Nola admitted Wednesday that despite appearing to have a good start to the season, he is struggling to correct himself.
Nola (4-2, 3.67 ERA) was outmatched by Toronto’s Chris Bassitt in a 5-3 Phillies defeat to the Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park.
As has often been the case in Nola’s career, what looked like a good start deteriorated somewhat in the sixth inning. Toronto’s Vlad Guerrero Jr. began it with a bunt single up the third base line. Hits by Justin Turner, catcher Danny Jansen, and Bo Bichette quickly followed, allowing the Blue Jays to take a 4-1 lead.
Nola admitted, “I made a couple of mistakes, and I missed a couple of spots.”
But what concerns him more is his inability to lower the trajectory of his fastball.
“I felt okay today,” he said. “It seemed like I threw a couple of them low, but I’m just struggling out there. I’m attempting to get the ball down, which is what has been successful for me. … It's just not as consistent right now, but I'll definitely try to get back to that.”
Nola, removed after 5 2/3 innings after conceding four earned runs on nine hits, but with seven strikeouts and no walks, stated that his primary issue is with one pitch.
“I feel like my fastballs that are hit are thigh-level, which is a good spot for hitters to hit,” he said. “I’ll keep working at it and obviously keep trying to move the ball around the plate.”
Regarding Bassitt, who had a shaky start to the season, he pitched 6.1 innings, allowing only two earned runs and three hits. The Phillies scored a run in the ninth inning off reliever Jordan Romano, and had the game-tying run on second base when Romano retired Whit Merrifield for the final out.
Bassitt has consistently performed well against the Phils, with a 1.89 ERA in five career starts against them.
“He kept us off balance,” manager Rob Thomson said of Bassitt. “Cutter, fastball and the slow curveball. He pitched well. You’ve got to give him credit. He kept us off-balance. But I have to give our guys credit. We came back, had the tying run on second base in the ninth. We kept fighting.”
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NOTES >> The Phillies’ 11-game win streak at Citizens Bank Park, which dated to a loss to the Pirates on April 14, came to an end. … While grounding out to complete an oh-for-4 at the plate, Bryce Harper flung a bat toward the fence in front of the Phillies dugout in frustration. “He’s a perfectionist,” Thomson said. “He wants to do well for the team, the city, the organization … he gets frustrated.”
