The Philadelphia Phillies will hand the ball to their ace, Aaron Nola, as they try to salvage a split in a two-game interleague series against the visiting Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.
The Phillies won three in a row against the Miami Marlins before compiling just four hits in a 3-1 setback to the Tigers on Tuesday.
Nola has hardly looked like the National League Cy Young finalist that he was last season. But Nola has fared better in his last two starts with a 2.92 earned run average.
Last Thursday, Nola (2-0) gave up seven hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings in what turned out to be a 3-1 loss to the Marlins in 10 innings. The outing lowered Nola’s ERA from 6.48 to 5.68, and he had 17 first-pitch strikes against 27 batters.
“That’s always something you try to work on,” Nola said of his first-pitch strikes. “You always want to get ahead of guys. It makes it much easier when you get first-pitch strikes, no matter who it is.”
Nola has been erratic, however, with his control at various other times this season. The Phillies received only 3 2/3 innings from starter Vince Velasquez on Tuesday and were forced to use five relievers.
If Nola can give the Phillies six or seven innings, it would be a huge boost.
“Really good signs for Nola,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said after Nola’s last start. “Steps in the right direction. Still not his best curveball, but certainly moving in the right direction and becoming more and more like himself.”
Prized free agent acquisition Bryce Harper went 0 for 4 Tuesday and saw his average drop to .240.
“I feel fine,” Harper said. “I just keep missing pitches.”
The Tigers snapped a four-game losing skid with Tuesday’s win and will look for their second consecutive victory when left-hander Daniel Norris receives the start.
Norris is 1-0 with a 3.93 ERA and will have a rare chance to pitch and bat in the same game. Norris is 1 for 6 in his career at the plate, and the one hit came in his first at-bat: a two-run home run against Jon Lester on Aug. 19, 2015.
“Norris is really fired up because now he gets to hit,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Norris wasn’t particularly sharp in his last outing on the mound, going just five innings in a 12-11 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. Norris allowed 10 hits and four runs.
The Tigers did get a boost from the return of shortstop Jordy Mercer on Tuesday. Mercer was 1 for 4 in his return from a strained right quad which landed him on the injured list on April 14.
Mercer is hitting .234.
“It’s good to be back,” Mercer told reporters. “You miss the camaraderie. You miss the relationships you created in spring training. You try to watch on your phone — the games and stuff — but you want to be up here and helping out as much as you can.”
Miguel Cabrera had one hit Tuesday and improved his career hit total to 2,705, tying him for 68th place on the all-time list with Doc Cramer.