PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:
GAME #146 RECAP: The Phillies fell to the Atlanta Braves, 4-1, at Citizens Bank Park … Starter Cristopher Sanchez (L, 2-4) tossed a career-high 7.1 innings and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits with 1 walk and a career-best 10 strikeouts … Sanchez generated 18 swings and misses on his changeup which were the most by any Phillies pitcher with the pitch since at least 2008 … Offensively, the Phillies worked Spencer Strider for 36 pitches in the 1st inning but only scored 1 run, their lone run of the night.
LEADING MAN: Since he was moved back to the leadoff spot on June 2, the Phillies are 40-14 in the 54 games Kyle Schwarber has scored a run (.741 win %) and they are 22-5 in the 27 games he has homered (.815 win %) … Last Wednesday in San Diego, Schwarber set a franchise record with his 10th leadoff home run this season, eclipsing Jimmy Rollins’ previous record of 9 in 2007 … Since the All-Star break, Schwarber has posted a .962 OPS in 56 games (263 PA) with 21 home runs and 60 walks with a 22.8% walk rate … Schwarber has 118 walks this season which ranks 8th in Phillies franchise history for a single year (7th is Mike Schmidt with 120 in 1979) … The franchise record for walks in a season is 129, set by Lenny Dykstra in 1993.
YOU’RE SO GOLDEN: Second baseman Bryson Stott is up to 15 Outs Above Average defensively which ranks T-3rd among all players in Major League Baseball (with COL SS Ezequiel Tovar) – the only players in MLB with more Outs Above Average than Stott are CHI’s SS, Dansby Swanson (18 OAAA) and SF’s INF, Thairo Estrada (17 OAA) … Stott leads all National League second baseman in games played (136) and innings at the position (1177.1), which outpaces Estrada (86 games, 720.1 innings) … Stott also has a .991 fielding percentage this season which is ahead of Estrada (.990) as well as 7 Defensive Runs Saved which is 6 more than Estrada (1 DRS)… He set a franchise record earlier this season when he began his career with 84 consecutive games at second base without an error, eclipsing the previous mark held by Tomas Perez (57 G) from 2001-02.
IN COMPANY WITH COOPERSTOWN: Tuesday night, Bryce Harper became only the 18th player in Major League Baseball history to reach 1,500 career hits and 300 home runs before turning 31 years old … He is joined by Hall-of-Famers Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Mell Ott, Duke Snider, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey Jr. and Vladimir Gurrero … Of the 18 players in MLB history with 1,500 hits and 300 home runs before turning 31, the only ones currently not in the Hall of Fame are Harper, Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, Andruw Jones, Alex Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez … Of those 18 players with 1,500 hits and 300 home runs before turning 31, only four had 900+ walks at the time: Mantle (973), Harper (947), Mathews (910) and Gehrig (909).
GET ME TO THE PLATE BOYS: In “Close & Late” situations (7th inning or later with the batting team ahead by one run, tied, or with the tying run on base, at bat or on deck), Bryce Harper has 82 plate appearances this season and he is slashing .412/.512/.676 with a 1.189 OPS that leads MLB – Harper has reached base safely in 42 of those 82 plate appearances … Per FanGraphs, Harper ranks 2nd in MLB this year in Win Probability Added at 5.53 – he trails only Ronald Acuna Jr. (6.36) and Mookie Betts (5.56).
TURNED HIM LOOSE: Over his last 35 games (since 8/4) Trea Turner is slashing .378/.419/.797 (1.217 OPS) with 34 runs, 10 doubles, a triple, 16 home runs, 41 RBI, 9 walks and 6 stolen bases in 155 plate appearances … Turner has raised his season AVG from .235 on August 3rd to .270 entering play tonight and his season OPS from .657 on Aug. 3 to .793 … With 94 runs, 31 doubles, 26 home runs and 27 stolen bases this year, Turner is only 6 runs, 4 home runs and 3 steals away from becoming only the third player in Phillies franchise history with a 100 run, 30 double, 30 homer, 30 stolen base season: Bobby Abreu (2x, 2001 & 2004) and Jimmy Rollins (2007).
THE GHOSTS OF RED OCTOBER: The Phillies return to St. Louis for the first time since the 2022 National League Wild Card Series when they won the first two games at Busch Stadium and advanced to the National League Division Series … In Game 1 (6-2 Phils), the Phillies trailed 2-0 before scoring 6 runs in the 9th as they sent 10 batters to the plate … Alec Bohm was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score the first run and then Jean Segura hit a 2-run single to right – Zack Wheeler tossed 6.1 scoreless innings in his postseason debut … In Game 2 (2-0 Phils), Aaron Nola earned the win and tossed 6.2 scoreless innings in his postseason debut … Bryce Harper put the Phils up 1-0 with a home run in the 2nd inning and Bohm scored on a Kyle Schwarber sac fly in the 5th.
ABOUT LAST TIME: Last month at CBP, the Phillies took all three games from St. Louis as they held the Cardinals to 3 runs in 27.0 innings (1.00 ERA) with 34 strikeouts to 3 walks (11.33 SO/BB ratio) – St. Louis hitters went 10-91 at the plate (.110 AVG) and posted a .358 OPS … It marked the first time the Phillies held an opponent to 13 or fewer base runners in a 3-game series since September of 1909 when they held the Brooklyn Superbas to 12 (9 H, 3 BB) … Before the Phillies, the last time an MLB club limited an opponent to 13 or fewer base runners in a 3-game series was in May of 2016 when the Dodgers held the Reds to 13.
ROAD WORK: The Phillies head back out on the road where they are an even .500 at 36-36 this season … However, since June 3, the Phillies have gone 25-14 on the road with a .641 winning percentage that ranks 2nd in MLB behind only Atlanta (31-15, .674) … On the mound, the Phillies have an MLB-best 3.41 ERA on the road since June 3rd which includes a 3.63 ERA from the starters and a 3.00 mark from the bullpen.
PASS THE PEPTO: In their just completed seven-game homestand, the Phillies went 2-5 and lost both series (1-2 vs MIA, 1-3 vs ATL) … However, in those seven games combined, the Phils were only outscored by two runs (36-38) … In addition, both losses to Miami were 1-run losses, and, of their three losses to Atlanta, two were in extra innings as the Phillies homered late in both games to send it to extras … The Phillies are 31-26 since the All-Star break but have a +58 run differential in the second half (313-255) … Of Philadelphia’s 26 losses since the break, 22 have been by 3 runs or fewer (85%), 20 have been by two runs or fewer (77%) and 12 have been one-run losses (46%).
TONIGHT’S STARTER – AARON NOLA • RHP #27
2023: 12-9, 4.64 ERA Career: 90-71, 3.74 ERA
LAST START: 9/2 at MIL: L, 4.2 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, HR, 3 BB, 5 SO … Nola vs Cueto … The Phillies took the 2nd game of a 3-game set against the Marlins with an 8-4 win at
Citizens Bank Park …The Phils jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the 2nd inning as Nick Castellanos had a 2-run double and Kyle Schwarber smashed a 3-run homer … Nola cruised the first 4.0 innings before the Marlins plated 4 runs in the 5th … Jeff Hoffman picked up 5 crucial outs to relieve Nola and notched his 4th win of the season … Gregory Soto, Jose Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel followed Hoffman with scoreless appearances of their own
TONIGHT’S START:
- In the Zone: Nola has had 16 starts this season with 1 or no walks … He is T10th in the NL for such starts … Since 2018, he is T-2nd in MLB and T-1st in the NL with 95 and only 4 other pitchers have at least 90 of them … Zack Greinke (114), Miles Mikolas (95), Kyle Hendricks (93) and Zack Wheeler (92) … Nola’s 2.25 BB/9.0 IP ranks 8th in the NL and since the start of last season his 1.72 BB/9.0 IP is T-5th in MLB. Bird Watching: Nola has made 10 career regular season starts against STL and 1 postseason starts … His combined ERA is 2.19 ERA (18 ER, 74.0 IP) and in his last 2 starts (2022 Wild Card included), Nola has tossed a total of 13.2 scoreless innings against the Cardinals … Among teams in which Nola has made at least 10 starts, his regular season ERA of 2.41 (18 ER, 67.1 IP) is his best. Lights Out: In his last start against STL (8/27), Nola only allowed 1 hit in 7.0 IP … It is the second time this season he has tossed 7.0 IP while allowing 1 hit … It is the 5th time he’s done so in his career and the 1st time he’s had multiple such games in a single season … He is one of 6 ML pitchers this year to have multiple such games this season … He joins Zack Wheeler (2021) and Kevin Millwood (2003) as the only Phillies pitchers to have multiple such games in a season since 1980 … Only Steve Carlton (7) and Grover Alexander (6) have more starts with at least 7.0 IP and 1 or no hits as a Phillie. 7 Strong: Nola has thrown at least 7.0 IP while allowing 3 or fewer earned runs in 9 games this season, which ranks 3rd in the NL and 5th in baseball …This season, the Phillies are 9-0 in games when Nola does so• Sharp as a WHIP: Nola has a 1.15 WHIP on the season, which is T-8th in the NL … Nola’s 1.13 career WHIP is T-8th best in Phillies history (min. 500.0 IP). Pitch Usage: Curveball (31.8%), 4-Seam Fastball (29.9%), Sinker (18.4%), Changeup (12.1%), Cutter (7.9%). vs NL Central: 27-12, 3.51 ERA (119 ER, 305.0 IP) in 49 starts
ROAD:
- 2023: 6-6, 5.66 ERA (60 ER, 95.1 IP) in 16 starts
- Career: 40-44, 4.27 ERA (330 ER, 696.0 IP) in 118 starts
2023 SEASON:
- Breaking Records: On 9/2, Nola surpassed Curt Schilling and moved into 5th place on the Phillies all-time strikeout list … Coming into the season, Nola was 7th on the all-time Phillies list and passed Grover Cleveland Alexander on 5/3 to move into 6th … Nola trails Steve Carlton (3,031), Robin Roberts (1,871), Cole Hamels (1,844) and Chris Short (1,585). Winning DNA: On 8/16, Nola earned his 10th win of the season … It is his 5th , 10-win season of his career and he became 1 of 19 Phillies pitchers to earn at least 5, 10-win seasons in their career … The only Phillies with more 10+ win seasons are Steve Carlton (13), Robin Roberts (12), Grover Alexander (7), Cole Hamels (6), Kyle Kendrick (6), Curt Simmons (6), Bill Duggleby (6) and Al Orth (6). Innings Eater: Since the start of the 2018 season, Nola’s 1043.2 IP are the 2nd-most in the majors … This season, Nola has gone at least 6.0 IP in 20 of his 29 starts (69.9%) … His 20 instances of 6.0 or more innings are tied for tied for the 9th most in the majors. Philly Value: Since 2018, Nola is one of two pitchers in baseball to accrue more than 20.0 fWAR (24.9) and pitch for only one team (other: Shane Bieber, 20.3) … In that span, he ranks 5th overall in fWAR behind only Max Scherzer (27.7), Zack Wheeler (27.6), Gerrit Cole (27.5) and Jacob deGrom (27.1) … His 33.2 fWAR as a Phillie is 7th most in franchise history trailing Curt Simmons (33.5) for 6th place. What Is It Good For: Additionally, since the start of the 2022 season, Nola’s 9.5 fWAR is tied with Zack Wheeler for the most in the NL and they trail only Kevin Gausman (10.5) for 1st in MLB. Road Scholar: Since the start of the 2022 season, among all ML pitchers in road games, Nola has recorded the most SO (220), the 2nd-most IP (203.1) and has the 8th best SO/BB ratio (5.64) … Nola’s 32 starts on the road in that span are tied for the 5th most in MLB. 7th Heaven: On 8/10, Nola made his 227 th career start … Nola now holds sole possession for the 7th most starts in Phillies history … Nola trails Steve Carlton (499), Robin Roberts (472), Chris Short (301), Cole Hamels
(294), Grover Alexander (280) and Curt Simmons (263). Phils’ Ranks: Recorded the 30th double-digit SO game of his career and 3rd of 2023 on 7/4 at TB … Is now in sole possession of 3rd place in club history (Curt Schilling is 2nd with 48)
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:
RECENT REDBIRDS: The St. Louis Cardinals return home to open a three-game weekend series against the defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies tonight at Busch Stadium on Apple TV+ … The division-rival Milwaukee Brewers visit St. Louis for a four-game series beginning Monday … The Cardinals were eliminated from the National League Central Division yesterday, while their postseason elimination number is six.
ROAD TRIPPING REDBIRDS: The Cardinals recently went 6-3 over a nine-game, three-city road trip through Atlanta (2-1), Cincinnati (2-1), and Baltimore (2-1), which featured teams with the best records in each respective league … The last time St. Louis won every series on a three-city road trip was Aug. 3-12, 2018 (7-2 record) through Pittsburgh (2-1), Miami (2-1), and KC (3-0).
FLIGHT PATTERN: St. Louis is 7-3 in their last 10 games and have won four of their last five series … The Cardinals enter today in 5th place in the NL Central, 3.5 games behind 4th-place Pittsburgh … St. Louis has spent 129 of 164 days in last place on the MLB schedule (April 26-May 19, May 29-July 7 & July 28-present) … The Cardinals 65-81 record (.445) is their lowest at the 146-game mark since 1978 when they were 62-83 (.428), although the 1995 Cardinals finished their strike-shortened season at 62-81 (.434).
DANGER ZONE: St. Louis would need to go undefeated over its remaining 16 games to avoid finishing under .500 for the first time since 2007 (78-84 record) and only the 2nd time in the last 24 seasons (2000-present) … St. Louis boasts MLB’s 2nd-longest active streak of winning seasons at 15 (2008-22), tying their franchise record established from 1939-53 when the Cardinals appeared in four World Series and won three (1942, 1944, 1946) … Only six teams in Major League history have enjoyed a longer stretch of consecutive winning seasons than the Cardinals current 15 (chart left).
THE BIG FOUR: Among the big four North American sports leagues, the New York Yankees currently have 30 winning seasons (1993-present), while the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins (17), the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers (12), and the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs (10) hold their respective marks … the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone 19 seasons without a losing season, with a trio of 8-8 seasons over that 19-year span.
HEIR JORDAN: 21-year-old rookie Jordan Walker currently has 97 hits at age 21 years and 116 days; with three more hits over the next four days, Walker would be the 4th-youngest Cardinal to reach 100 career hits (Rogers Hornsby 20.078; Frank Snyder 20.346; and Garry Templeton 21.057) – Baseball-Reference.
T.G.I.F?: The Cardinals are the only ones who do not look forward to Friday … This season, St. Louis is 4-17 on the final day of the work week (2-7 at home) with wins vs. Pittsburgh (4/14), at Boston (5/12), vs. Cincinnati (6/9), and at Cincinnati (9/8) … Since Divisional play began in 1969, the Cardinals previous worst Friday mark was 8-18 (.307) in 1978 … Relatedly, St. Louis is 14-22 in series openers this season
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: LHP ZACK THOMPSON (5-5, 4.06)
TONIGHT’S GAME
- Second year player and former Cardinals 1st round draft pick (2019, 19th player overall) out of the nearby University of Kentucky, is making his 7th start of the 2023 season and the 8th of his young career. Making his 1st career start against the Phillies in 1st meeting of the 2023 season against Philadelphia. Made two relief appearances last year vs. PHI, both at Citizens Bank Park. Worked a career single-game high 7.0 IP with 92 pitches in his 9/3 start vs. PIT and threw a career-high 98 pitches last Sat. (9/9) in 4-3 win at CIN. Leads STL pitchers with 3.60 ERA & 38 strikeouts since August 1 (min. 30 IP). Ranks 6th among National League LHP stating pitchers in ERA (3.60) since August 1 & ranks 7th in strikeouts (38). Has received 17 runs of support (4.3 runs/game) in his last four starts after receiving zero runs of support in his first two starts this season. His 8 strikeouts on 8/6 vs. COL were the most in franchise history by a Cardinals lefthander making his 2nd career start. Is 3-2, 4.63 ERA in his 7 career starts (35.0 IP/18 ER) with 35 strikeouts. In the month of August, posted a team-best 3.13 ERA among STL starters (4 starts). Recalled on 8/1 from Memphis (AAA) – his 3rd stint with the Cardinals this season. Appeared in just four games between St. Louis & Memphis (AAA) in the month of July. Appeared in 11 games (9 starts) at Memphis & made 18 relief appearances (6 starts) for St. Louis this season, totaling 85.1 IP overall in 2023 between the two teams. Earned his 1st win since 4/14 vs. PIT on 7/19 vs. MIA, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings of relief on 29 pitches. Induced 2 GIDP in 2.0 IP or fewer on 7/19 vs. MIA; 1st Cards pitcher to do so since Luke Weaver on 8/17/17 at PIT. Was 1-4, 8.66 ERA at Memphis, striking out 41 batters in 34.1 IP while issuing 39 walks.
2023
- Rejoined the rotation on Aug. 18 and has started each of his last five games and six of his last seven. Began the season in the bullpen and has made 16 relief appearances. Made 2nd career start 8/6 vs. COL & established a career-high with eight strikeouts. Earned his first win as a starting pitcher in MLB battling through 5.0 innings allowing two runs on six hits in a 6-4 win at PIT on 8/23. Departed after a 1:32 rain delay in the 6th inning leading 5-2.
LAST TIME OUT
- Ran his win streak to three games (Cardinals 4-0 in his last four starts) with a 4-3 win over the Reds last Sat. (9/9) at Great American Ball Park. Threw a career-high 98 pitches in the win, as he evened his season record at 5-5.
DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
9/8 @CIN W 4-3 W-5 5.0 5 3 3 3 6 0 98-65
