Thursday, July 27, 2017

2017 Topps Allen & Ginter #206 Aaron Nola

Phillies 9, Astros 0
Game 99 - Wednesday Night, July 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 35-64, 5th place, 25 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola continued his winning ways with a 10-strikeout performance against the first place Astros.

What It Means:  As Tweeted by Baseball Reference, Nola is the first pitcher since 2014 to have seven straight starts with seven or more strikeouts and less than two or fewer runs allowed.  The last five pitchers to accomplish that feat are Corey Kluber, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, CC Sabathia and Josh Johnson.  And as Tweeted by Matt Gelb, Nola is the first Phillies pitcher with seven straight starts with seven or more strikeouts since Curt Schilling in 1998.

What Happened:  As impressive as Nola's pitching performance was, the offense's performance was even more impressive.  Cameron Rupp hit a pair of two-run home runs (8 & 9), and Maikel Franco added a two-run home run (15) of his own.  Tommy Joseph had a three-hit night, including a two-run double in the sixth.

Featured Card:  Here's Nola's just-released card from this year's Allen & Ginter set.

Transactions:  Prior to the game, Aaron Altherr was activated from the disabled list and Daniel Nava was added to the disabled list with a left hamstring strain.

Following the game, All-Star Pat Neshek was traded to the Rockies for three low-A prospects.  I'll have more on this deal in a separate post.

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