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ST. LOUIS – It was a first. And the Phillies hope this will happen again several times.
Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins conceded the same game and Aaron Nola had his best start to the season as the Phillies defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 11-1 at Busch Stadium on Tuesday night. (see comments).
Much of St. Louis' attention was focused on the playoff battle between the Blues and Dallas Stars in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup just down the street. It is possible that even the Cardinals players were a little distracted. The Cards had a bad second run. They made two errors in the inning and the Phillies rushed on for six unearned points.
That was all Nola needed.
"Up to 6-0, you have to stay connected," said the right-hander. "You can not drop the essence because anything can happen. I have been on both sides. It's a state of mind. You must stay connected.
That's what Nola did. He gave only one hit in five innings and three times in six ball heats. He has held the opposition at one point in each of his last three starts. In other words, after a difficult start, he is Aaron Nola again. The fastball command is improved. The change is clearer. Ditto for the curveball. Of the 101 throws that he pitched, 65 were curved balls and changes. He had 11 swings and missed on these two fields.
"It's definitely the best I've felt all year with all my shots," he said. "I had the impression of launching quality fields and progressing further."
While the Phillies' best pitcher had a great night, two of the club's top hitters did the same.
Harper has entered the game, scoring just .266 in total and .182 in his last 18 games. He had two hits, a walk and scored two points in the night. One of his successes is the most important of the game, a grand slam that highlights the second run.
"I think the last two weeks, whatever it was, I was missing shots over the board, I could not afford to get out of the box," said Harper. "Our team did a good job tonight. It was good to put something up early for Nola.
Harper dismissed any suggestion that his slow start would be due to the fact that he had too much insisted or tried to do too much after signing a $ 330 million deal with the Phils in March.
Kapler felt a difference in Harper's jumps in this game.
"Bryce looked a little more relaxed," Kapler said. "His bat flew through the area. He looked more comfortable, seemed to let him go.
Hoskins went 4 for 5 with a circuit and a double to bring his season average to .302. He is 14 years old for 34 (.412) with four homers and 12 RBIs in his last 10 games. He leads the club with 11 circuits.
Hoskins sports a base percentage of .425 and an OPS of 1.076.
"He had a lot of strong and important contacts for us," said Kapler.
The Phils are 20-15 years old, leading in the east of the NL. They will seek to win the series behind Jerad Eickhoff on Wednesday afternoon.
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