GDT 9/8/25 New York Mets (McLean) @ Philadelphia Phillies (Nola, A)

[zambonir]

Even if they'd lost, that was a huge development. Nola as one of three starters (even if Luzardo tandems) is a far better scenario than Nola as the #4.

[allentown]

Nola (perhaps>) announces ST is over and he's back. Not just a big step forward from poor starts but a commanding performance against a tough lineup. Great to squeak a win with so many offensive players suddenly down.

[Austinfan]

Dumped his cutter and used his changeup and 2 seamer more - the key to handling LH hitters for him

[EastFallowfield]

[Philsmania]

I wouldn't say this team wins ugly but they don't win easy!

[LoneStarPhan]

I will say they don’t keep their phans in comfort with wins like this.

But what a great win! Super start to the series. All credit to Nola. And a bullpen for three scoreless innings. Okay, I’m not happy with the two out walk after being ahead 0-2, to bring Soto to the plate in the 8th. The runners second and third with one out in the ninth was tense but Duran gets the outs and earns a save. A little excitement but ends well.

[VoteForKalas]

The baseball demise of Nola has been greatly exaggerated - so happy to see him bounce back and pitch a strong game.

He always seems to get more grief and less credit, but Nola has been a fantastic pitcher for the Phillies during his career.

[EastFallowfield]

The first and only cutter Aaron Nola threw Monday night sailed past Juan Soto’s swinging bat and into J.T. Realmuto’s glove for a third strike and one out in the sixth inning.

The pitch, which Nola developed to combat left-handed batters, had not served him well lately. He threw 10 cutters to lefties in August, and they slugged .833 against it. He did not throw a cutter in his start at the Milwaukee Brewers last week but has toyed with it recently. And Nola, who entered Monday having thrown 243 pitches to Soto, had sent him just one cutter.

Then, in a one-run game and facing one of the league’s biggest stars, Nola and Realmuto brought it to life in the sixth inning of a 1-0 Phillies win against the New York Mets.

“He’s that type of hitter, where sometimes you’ve got to think outside the box a little bit,” Realmuto said. “Knew he hadn’t seen one yet, so he wasn’t going to be looking for it.”

Phillies think outside the box, snatch win over Mets to stretch NL East lead to...

[Austinfan]

I wouldn't say Nola "is back."
For one thing, it looks like he dialed back his velo to get more command, 91, where in his prime he was 92-93, t95.
Good to see more changeups and the splitter, those were his money pitches in his prime.
But the reduced velocity is probably permanent, which means a smaller margin of error (more time for hitters to adjust to off speed pitches).

But they can live with Nola as a solid 3/4 the next few years, what they can't do is pay his salary to someone as bad as Walker. With Sanchez and Painter, they still need to figure out if Wheeler is cooked, and whether they can afford to extend Luzardo and/or resign Ranger.

[zambonir]

They have no reason to think Wheeler is cooked. And certainly can't plan as if he is. If that's how it plays out that is something they can address at the trade deadline or next off-season (whether that's Luzardo or someone else) but in the meantime that's a hole Painter fills, with Walker also still in the rotation, along with another Turnbull type for depth probably. But they need Nola. Still don't really see them re-signing Ranger (unless they trade Luzardo) along with Schwarber and JT. If they don't land both of those bats, maybe.

There's also pretty much nobody who won't be available in trade besides Harper and Turner, Stott and Marsh included, depending how it all falls together.

For now the pressing question is what Nola can provide in October, and when/how.

[Philsmania]

I'm not sure they can afford to resign all of Schwarber, Realmuto and Suarez this offseason.

[Philsmania]

Notwithstanding his white-knuckle save last night, when will Duran be included on the banner atop this site?

[Austinfan]

It amazes me that anyone hits Duran's pitches.

He must have some sort of "tell," similar to Luzardo earlier this season, because if you don't know what's coming how do you hit a 102 MPH 4-seamer, 99 splitter and 89 knuckle curves?

[Patchmk88]

To me it's all about the locations of his pitches. He often doesn't used either side of the plate but trusts his stuff and just usually throws it in the middle (he does go low and high). The plus to that is he basically never walks anybody; the negative is that even with great stuff professional hitters can put the bat on the ball if it's in the middle which means less Ks. Although as we've seen its often not hard contact.

[zambonir]

They can afford to sign all those guys, and Tucker too. Do they want to carry that kind of payroll is a different question.

But it's all a matter of resource scarceness. 50 HRs and a top everyday catcher (even if he's not what he was) much harder to replace than a #3 starter. It's certainly not out of the question they keep Ranger knowing both Walker and (presumably) Luzardo come off the books. Just won't be cheap, and it would mean picking Ranger over Luzardo which I'm not sure you do based on age and history. Except of course Ranger is our guy.

[RolenRules]

I don't think they should choose Ranger over Luzardo, nor vice versa. I think they should resign Ranger and keep Luzardo. Having 3 LHP starters in the rotation might not be perceived as ideal, but Sanchez, Luzardo, and Ranger are all at least #3 starters if not higher. And while we hope that Wheeler and Nola fully bounce back, their full recovery is hardly assured at their ages.

[zambonir]

But should they re-sign Ranger inst ead of Realmuto? Like Philsmania said, while it's more a matter of won't then can't, the money isn't there to pay Luzardo in arbitration and re-sign three $20 million + FAs (Schwarber will be more, JT could be less, but they are all QO level guys).

And say goodbye to Bader or any new FA OF too. Even trying to offload half of Nick's salary would be be another burden. Trading Bohm would save some money but does that make Kemp and a LH bench type or 3B? Miller?

[Docs]

Any chance Philly finances next year's roster with the deferred payment plans like the dodgers and bobby bonilla? Just make it 2040's problem.

[zambonir]

The reason most teams don't do that is you actually still have to put the money into a fund (where it then earns interest). The Dodgers and Mets have both the cash and venture capitalist appetite for that sort of thing. The Phillies probably don't - and the new people they've brought in aren't necessarily super-rich or swashbuckling young tech guys either.

There is another path here of course, but it costs the Phillies talent if they can't free up the money: another Luzardo-like trade instead of Suarez or a Marsh-like trade for another team's catcher instead of Realmuto.

[Philsmania]

Notwithstanding his white-knuckle save last night, when will Duran be included on the banner atop this site?

I see he (along with Marsh and Bader) was added.