The Philadelphia Phillies desperately needed a win today. They fell a game below .500 after losing 2-of-3 to start the four game series against the Atlanta Braves. Aaron Nola was on the mound looking to split the series and the Phillies needed him to be the pitcher that we all expected him to be. Nola didn’t disappoint. He pitched a masterclass, throwing 8.2 innings, allowing only four hits, an earned run in the ninth, and zero walks while striking out nine.

The Phillies didn’t do much at the plate, but they did what they had to do. Jean Segura hit a solo home run to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. The Phillies picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth thanks to Ronald Torreyes, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.

At the end of the day, the Phillies got a much needed series split. They will play the Washington Nationals in the final series before the trade deadline. Aaron Nola bounced back after a few rough outings and surely gave Dave Dombrowski and Sam Fuld a much needed reminder that the Phillies should be buyers at the deadline.

The Phillies have listed Vince Velasquez as Thursday afternoon’s starter. They will go Howard-Moore-Wheeler-Velasquez against Washington Nationals.

Lord help us.

Mandatory Credit: The Philadelphia Phillies