Philadelphia Phillies watch Aaron Nola’s 11 strikeouts go to complete waste

Despite Aaron Nola striking out 11 batters on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, the Philadelphia Phillies still came up on the losing end.

After splitting the first two games of this weekend’s series against the Chicago Cubs, the Philadelphia Phillies were hoping to end things on a hot note with Aaron Nola taking the mound on Sunday.

Even though he doesn’t always receive the best support from his teammates, Nola has been one of those pitchers this season that ends up being a huge difference maker for the Phillies each time he takes the mound, and always gives them an extra advantage against opponents.

Not only did Nola previously have a 15-3 record entering Sunday’s contest, but the Philadelphia All-Star had combined for 28 strikeouts over his last three outings, meaning if the team was going to win this final game against Chicago, it was most likely going to be as a result from him.

So what exactly happened for Nola and the Phillies in their series finale against the Cubs? Well, as expected, Nola shined by recording 11 strikeouts, but unfortunately couldn’t receive the necessary help from his teammates in the run department.

Seeing the Phillies fail to score a single run while Nola was on the mound for 5.2 innings of work was one thing, but also seeing him allow four earned runs to the Cubs as well in the 8-1 loss was a tough pill to swallow.

Hitting the double-digit mark in strikeouts is never an easy accomplishment for any pitcher, and seeing how Nola has managed to do so three times since the beginning of July shows just how special of a player he truly is. But since Nola’s impressing outing in the strikeout department went to complete waste, it’s tough to feel too excited about the performance.

Plus, winning a series against a division leader like the Cubs would have provided the Phillies with another confidence boost when it comes to showing they have what it takes to compete with the best in baseball.

From the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia has put together some impressive outings over true playoff contenders this season. And as frustrating as it was to see them come up on the losing end of Sunday’s game despite Nola’s outing, all the Phillies can do now is focus on this final month of September.

Never in a million years did anyone believe that Philadelphia of all teams would be in the hunt for one of the playoff spots in the National League, but here they are with a chance to win the division or simply one of the Wild Card spots.

It’s certainly not going to be easy since they currently trail the Atlanta Braves by four games in the NL East and the St. Louis Cardinals by 3.5 games for the final Wild Card spot, but it’s now or never for the Phillies. Maybe if Nola shines the way he did during his next performance, Philadelphia will at least provide him with better support in the run department.