When Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola takes the mound for Wednesday night's Game 3 against the Atlanta Braves, he won't have history on his side. Nola's numbers against these very Braves aren't pretty.
As Atlanta has done to most pitchers this season, the Braves hit Nola very well. The only difference this time around is that Atlanta's success against Nola predates their history campaign.
In Nola's May 25 start against the Braves, Atlanta took Nola deep three times and scored five runs. The good news for the Phils right-hander is that he settled down quite a bit in his next two outings against Atlanta, as they managed just two runs combined and struck out 13 times.
Numbers on the Braves side against Aaron Nola, but recent history isn't
The Phillies need the same Nola who showed up for those last two starts towards the end of this season to pitch again on Wednesday night.
"I know he was really good the last time he pitched against us," Brian Snitker said. "He's, again, one of the top pitchers in baseball. Just the assortment that he has, how he can extend games. We've had a few guys that have done OK off him. He's done OK off us, too. He's a tough ride, because he's got so many weapons, and he throws strikes. And he can command his fastball. So you've just got to get in there and fight like we did last night. You've got 27 outs to make something happen."
Nola will have the home crowd at Citizens Bank Park and the entirety of Philadelphia behind him when he takes the bump. The soon-to-be free agent is excited for the opportunity.
"It's good to be back home. Obviously it was a tough loss last night. It was heartbreaking. They made a good play at the end. But we got another chance, right? We're one and one. It's good to split over there, come back home and hopefully get one tomorrow," Nola said.
Heartbreaking is one way to put it. Nola and the Phils have a chance to strike back, but he'll have to ensure history doesn't repeat itself given the Braves lineup's overall success against him.
