Nola’s complete-game shutout, his fourth career complete game and third career shutout, was a five-hitter and he did it with 100 pitches. And he struck out 11.
The Reds put their leadoff batter on base four times but none advanced beyond second base until the ninth when Nick Senzel beat out an infield single and T. JK. Friedl doubled to right field.
But Nola nailed it down by retiring Aristides Aquino on a grounder back to the mound.
On this night, the Reds frittered away an outstanding night on the pitching mound from Justin Dunn.
Over six innings, Dunn held the Phillies to two runs and four hits, while striking out five and walking two.
He only veered off the domination path once and that was in third inning against Middletown native Kyle Schwarber.
When he came to bat with two outs, he had one hit in the first three games with seven strikeouts. But Schwarber took out his frustrations during this at bat, crushing a home run that threatened to put another crack in the Liberty Bell.
It traveled 451 feet and crash—landed three-fourths of the way up the black center field batter’s eye. It was Schwarber’s league-leading 35th home run.
Philadelphia’s other run off Dunn came in the fifth and began with a bunt for a base hit up the third base line by catcher Garrett Stubbs.
Bradley Zimmer, batting .110, singled to right field, sending Stubbs to third and he scored on Edmundo Sosa’s sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Ross Detwiler replaced Dunn in the seventh and the Phillies doubled up on the Reds with two runs and a 4-0 lead.
Nola began the game with an 8-10 record, with four of those losses coming in games against the New York Mets. The Phillies lost 15 of the 19 games they played this season against the Mets.
Nola gave up a single to Donovan Solano in the second and the only other baserunner through seven innings was in the fifth when he hit Friedl on the back foot with a pitch.
Aquino grabbed the Reds second hit leading off the eighth, a dribbler into right field against the shift. Alex Lopez dropped a single into center field, putting runners on second and first with no outs.
Jose Barrero struck out for the second time and he has struck out at least once in all 20 games he has played for the Reds this season. Austin Romine also struck out and Jake Fraley imitated Barrero and Romine by striking out as Nola preserved his shutout.
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