Phillies go 0-for-12 with RISP, Nola comes up short in 4-1 loss to the Brewers

Bummer of a night. The Phillies had a real shot to clinch a postseason berth Wednesday, needing just a win over Milwaukee plus a loss from Arizona or San Diego. And before the West Coast results even mattered, they made it moot by failing to handle their own business, falling behind early and never recovering in a flat 4-1 loss. The clinch waits.

Nola Couldn’t Slam the Door

Nola actually pitched better than the line says, giving up just four hits over six. The problem? EVERY run came with two outs. Brice Turang got him on a two-out homer in the first, Christian Yelich turned on a two-out cutter for another in the second, and the Brewers pushed two more across in the third on a soft William Contreras grounder that squirted past a diving Stott. Four two-out runs, several on cheap contact. His inability to finish hitters hurt, but he was far from the main culprit here.

Phillies Offense…Yeesh

Let’s be honest about who lost this game. The Phillies went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10. Twelve chances to cash a runner, twelve whiffs. That’s the September RISP disease flaring up at the worst possible time, and it’s genuinely concerning with October knocking.

The heart of the order was the culprit, Schwarber, Turner, Harper, and Arraez combined to go 1-for-15. When your top four give you nothing, you’re not beating anybody, especially a Brewers team that just won its MLB-best 99th game behind five strong from Logan Henderson.

Phillies Red October Pitching

Nola’s regular season is done, and even after a rough one, his turnaround is a great story. He finishes 7-10 with a 4.54 ERA, but over his last 11 starts he ran a 2.45 while averaging six innings, after sitting at 6.04 through 17 starts. His playoff role is TBD, possibly a Game 2 or 3 start.

That hinges on Jesus Luzardo, and there’s real optimism. He’s playing catch pain-free, next up is a bullpen mound, possibly Thursday, with chatter of a simulated game this weekend. If he’s ready for round one, he could work out of a bullpen that could use the help. Painter, who makes his final regular-season start Thursday, could also factor into relief. And Sanchez goes Friday, lining him up for Game 2 behind Wheeler.

That Wheeler-Sanchez front two is exactly what you want.

Andrew Painter!

Minor disappointment, not a disaster. The berth is coming, it’s just a matter of when, and they get another crack Thursday. 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position is the exact stuff that ends postseason runs. The pitching’s held up its end down the stretch. Now the bats, especially the top of the order, HAVE to start cashing in.

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