Cardinals rock Aaron Nola as 6-1 loss leaves Phils with disappointing split; Alec Bohm injured

ST. LOUIS — Ordinarily, if the Phillies came to Busch Stadium for a four-game series and left with a split, they would consider it to be a successful trip.

But under the circumstances, well, what a wasted opportunity.

The Phillies shut out the Cardinals in the first two games, and even after blowing a two-run lead Sunday, they had Aaron Nola in line to deliver a gem in the Monday night finale. Instead, Nola got knocked around by the lower half of the St. Louis lineup in a 6-1 thumping on a steamy night hard by the Gateway Arch.

Two steps forward, two steps back.

There was a silver lining for the Phillies amid the 99-degree heat. Third baseman Alec Bohm’s left ring finger was dislocated, not broken as he feared after he slid headfirst into second base in the second inning.

» READ MORE: J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm among four Phillies out vs. Toronto Blue Jays due to vax status

“Very relieved,” said Bohm, who was caught on camera telling a trainer as they left the field that he thought his finger was broken. “When you look down and see what I saw, your mind starts to think some pretty bad things, right? So, I’m very relieved.”

What Bohm said he saw was his ring finger bent grotesquely towards his pinkie. It’s unclear whether he will need to go on the injured list. It may come down to pain tolerance.

But Bohm is also among the four Phillies players who couldn’t travel with the team to Toronto for this week’s two-game series because he’s unvaccinated against COVID-19. He will meet the team Friday in Miami instead, and his availability likely will be determined then.

The Phillies scored a total of seven runs in four games and left town in the same position in which they arrived — tied with the Cardinals for the last playoff spot in the National League. They’re already without Bryce Harper (fractured left thumb) and Jean Segura (broken right index finger). Losing Bohm would’ve been another blow.

So, the Phillies let out a collective exhale when X-rays came back negative. Doctors popped his finger back into place and fit him for a splint to enable him to move it around.

“It’s all about just range of motion now and just dealing with pain,” Bohm said. “I think it’s a time-will-tell sort of thing. But it’s definitely best-case scenario given the circumstances.”

The Phillies’ best-case scenario would’ve been leaving town with a two-game lead in the standings. They still won the season series with the Cardinals, which would give them the tiebreaker if they wind up deadlocked in the race for a playoff spot. But they could’ve had more.

“It’s definitely disappointing [after] starting the series 2-0,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “Even after losing [Sunday], we were confident we would come in and win the series. It’s tough to lose two games in a row, but that’s a good team over there. It’s going to happen.”

Nola cruised through four innings but gave up three runs in a 29-pitch fifth, in which he didn’t even have to face Cardinals MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt. Nola gave up back-to-back-to-back RBI hits to hitters who entered the game batting .183, .179, and .178.

Corey Dickerson jumped on a changeup for an RBI single before Edmundo Sosa reached for a low-and-away two-strike curveball and hooked it to left field for an RBI double. Andrew Knizner followed with an RBI single to open a 3-1 lead.

Nola suggested he may have gotten away from the fastball in the fifth inning.

“Maybe I did,” he said. “I felt like I was using it the first four a good bit. Just wanted to change things up a little bit, show them a little different part of the arensal. But I threw a couple hangers.”

It was the first time Nola gave up more than four runs in a start since June 1 and hiked his ERA from 3.15 to 3.35. It also marked his third loss in his last four decisions, with one scheduled start remaining before the All-Star break (Sunday in Miami).

The Cardinals held Nick Castellanos to four hits — all singles — in the series. He struck out twice and grounded into a double play against Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas before lining a single in the ninth inning.

But it’s nothing new. Castellanos has a total of two extra-base hits (one double, one home run) in 92 plate appearances over his last 22 games. He has one homer since May 31.

Of the 152 players who qualify for the batting title in either league, Castellanos ranks 121st with a .376 slugging percentage.

Rhys Hoskins went deep into the third deck in left field — “Big Mac Land,” as it’s known at Busch Stadium in honor of Mark McGwire — in the first inning. It marked his 18th homer of the season.

It also brought to mind something that Schwarber said Sunday. In listing teammates he thought merited All-Star consideration, he mentioned Hoskins in the same breath as Zack Wheeler, Nola, and Seranthony Domínguez.

A case could be made for Hoskins, who went into Monday night with an .829 on-base plus slugging. But a slow start — combined with a loaded group of NL first basemen, including Goldschmidt, Pete Alonso (Mets), C.J. Cron (Rockies), Freddie Freeman (Dodgers), Matt Olson (Braves), and Josh Bell (Nationals) — made him a long shot.