Aaron Nola sharp, but Phillies return home 1-5 after 4-2 loss to the Yankees

NEW YORK — If there was a positive to be gleaned from the Phillies’ 4-2 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon, it was that Aaron Nola looked better than he did on opening day in Texas. Nola breezed through his first six innings at Yankee Stadium, allowing just two runs on seven hits. He was getting ahead in his counts. He was efficient with his pitches. It wasn’t until the seventh inning that he allowed a walk, to Jose Trevino.

He was pulled after that. Nola’s final line listed three earned runs with five strikeouts. It was a far cry from his previous start, when he blew a 5-0 lead and was charged with five earned runs in what became a nine-run fourth inning for the Rangers in their 11-7 win last Thursday.

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Unfortunately for the Phillies, the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole was better. Cole allowed one earned run and three hits in 6⅓ innings. He had eight strikeouts and three walks.

Even though the Phillies weren’t able to run up the score, at least while Cole was on the mound, they did run up his pitch count. The right-hander finished with 103 pitches (68 of them strikes). Nola threw only 87 (62 strikes).

Manager Rob Thomson mentioned after Nola’s first start that he would try using a pitch clock in his bullpen sessions to better simulate a game situation. Nola did appear to be more in rhythm and less rushed on Wednesday, but he said it was because he’s getting used to pitching with it in games.

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“What’s going to get us used to the pitch clock is getting out there over and over again in game situations,” Nola said. “Learning how to slow it down. Learning how to start your motion with your leg in the stretch with three, two, one seconds left, depending on how ready you are at that time. You can do it in the bullpen all you want, but you’ve got to be in game situations.

“Overall, I felt pretty good today. I think early outs were key today. Those kind of helped with the clock.”

The Phillies will return to Citizens Bank Park for their home opener on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds with losses in five of their first six games. It’s the first time they’ve started 1-5 since 2007, when they turned a 1-6 start into a playoff berth.

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“[I think] that we played poorly at the start, but I think the last couple of games we’re playing the way we know how to play,” said Thomson. “We’ve just got to keep going. It’s going to be good to get home in front of our fans. Get some energy and get going.”

The Phillies already had a slew of injuries to contend with, but that list got even longer on Wednesday. Moments before the game, center fielder Brandon Marsh was scratched with a mild left ankle sprain. He is day to day.

First baseman Darick Hall was removed from the game in the fifth inning. He suffered a right thumb sprain on a slide into second base in the third inning.

“We’ll re-evaluate [Thursday], but Hall jammed his thumb on the slide at second base,” Thomson said. “So we’ll figure it out [Thursday]. And Marsh’s ankle is from last night, the [DJ] LeMahieu home run. He got on the track and the track kind of gave way on him. He kind of turned it a little bit.”

To no one’s surprise, the Phillies’ bats fared much better once Cole came out in the seventh inning. After Cole walked Nick Castellanos, Jonathan Loaisiga entered the game. He allowed a single to Bryson Stott and hit Alec Bohm with a pitch to load the bases with one out.

Jake Cave hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Castellanos, and pinch-hitter Josh Harrison grounded into a force out to end the threat. In the eighth inning, Kyle Schwarber hit a 365-foot home run off Loaisiga, his second of the season.

Home plate umpire Nic Lentz heard plenty of chirping, much of it from hitting coach Kevin Long, who was complaining from the dugout about Lentz’s strike zone. In the top of the fifth inning, while Cave was at the plate, Lentz ejected Long from the game.

“We thought that there are a few calls there that were questionable,” Thomson said. “And then the first pitch to Cave, we thought it was down. So that’s where the frustration comes from.”

After winning the pennant and getting all the way to Game 6 of the Series last year, the Phillies are back to finish the deal. The home opener of the 141st season in franchise history is set for Friday at Citizens Bank Park — and The Inquirer will have it covered. Join Phillies/MLB reporter Scott Lauber and staff writer Matt Breen as they host Gameday Central starting at 1:30 p.m. at sinomn.com/philliesgameday.