Aaron Nola shakes off miserable season and stakes his claim for spot in Phillies' playoff rotation

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Nola’s season has gone so haywire, from ankle and rib injuries to old-fashioned inconsistency, that the right-hander who anchored the rotation for most of the last decade could get dumped to the Phillies’ bullpen in the playoffs.

Against the Twins, Nola delivered an outing worthy of staking his claim in the October rotation.

Nola took a perfect game into the sixth inning, moved into second on Philadelphia’s career strikeout list and proved he could have some postseason value for the NL East champion Phillies in a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

Nola (5-10) allowed two hits and struck out nine without a walk over eight innings.

“That's who he is,” manager Rob Thomson said.

Nola ended his worst year since he broke in with the Phillies in 2015 with easily the best start of his season. He pitched eight innings for the first time since he tossed a shutout against the New York Mets in May 2024. Nola also struck out Edouard Julien to end the fifth inning for his 1,872nd career strikeout, putting him second behind Hall of Famer Steve Carlton on the franchise’s list.

Nola snapped a tie with Hall of Famer Robin Roberts. A four-time Cy Young Award winner with the Phillies, Carlton had 3,031 strikeouts with the franchise.

“It's humbling, for sure, to be on the list with those guys,” Nola said.

The Phillies' rotation seems set headed into next weekend's NL Division Series.

With ace Zack Wheeler sidelined as he recovers from surgery to remove a blood clot in his throwing shoulder, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Ranger Suárez appear lined up to start the first three playoff games.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he would consider using Nola out of the bullpen in the playoffs. A possible bullpen role would be an adjustment for Nola — he has never made a relief appearance in 285 regular-season appearances and said his last relief appearance probably came when he was a freshman at LSU.

“We’d certainly give him enough time if that were the case to make sure he’s ready," Thomson said.

Nola has made 16 postseason starts over the last three seasons with the Phillies that includes a 3-1 mark with a 2.35 ERA in 2023.

“I'll do whatever, man,” Nola said. “Do whatever to help the guys win. Everybody's goal is the same in here. We want to get back to the World Series and win it. It's a long road to there. It starts with the DS and we've got to play good baseball.”

Nola did not allow a baserunner against the Twins until Christian Vázquez hit a solo shot in the sixth to make it 2-1, and he pitched out of a jam in the seventh after allowing a leadoff triple.

The 32-year-old Nola — signed to a $172 million, seven-year contract ahead of the 2024 season — was drafted seventh overall by Philadelphia in 2014 and had been one of the most durable pitchers since his 2015 big league debut. Even as this season unraveled, with a 1-7 record and a 6.16 ERA over his first nine starts, Thomson's confidence in his onetime ace never wavered.

“You know it’s there,” Thomson said. “I don’t worry about him at all. I really don’t.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb