Philadelphia Phillies: The 3 most important players in the NLCS
By Tim Boyle
2) The Philadelphia Phillies’ second most important player in the NLCS: Aaron Nola
We can make Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler share a spot. But in reference to what we have seen so far in the playoffs, the Phillies have proven Nola is the more important pitcher for success. Wheeler has pitched amazingly well, but he is 0-1, while Nola has 12.2 shutout innings. We pretty much know what we’ll get from Wheeler. Nola is the bigger mystery.
However, if postseason Nola is anything like he has been in two starts against two teams with better records in the regular season and more potent offenses than San Diego, Nola should be at his best. As long as his brother, Austin, on the Padres doesn’t reveal all of his secrets, our expectations for the longtime Phillies pitcher should be raised.
By winning both of Nola’s starts, the Phillies have picked up a guy who was snuffed out from a much better regular season. At 11-13 with a 3.25 ERA, no pitcher should own the best walk/strikeout ratio and have such a low ERA yet a losing record.
The offense and even the bullpen have helped out. From the relief corps, Nola’s mission should be to rely on them as little as possible. Give the team seven strong innings, and the bats will supply a couple of runs. A two-inning performance in a non-save situation from Connor Brogdon sounds like a nice way to end his next start.