Not even Nola Day can be happy: Braves 2, Phillies 1

We’re done.

Officially.

With the Cardinals winning today and the Phillies being swept by the Braves, the doors on the 2018 playoff push are officially closed.

It’s not like the end could even be exciting either. Aaron Nola was on the bump, looking to go over the 200 innings pitched mark for the first time in his career, something that many people look at when trying to define an “ace”. He already had the 200+ strikeouts, the sub-3 ERA, and the arsenal of pitches needed to get batters out with great frequency. With the season finished as far as team objectives, personal goals now come to the forefront. The least this offense could do was show up for its leader.

They didn’t.

Stymied by the reanimated corpse of Tom Seaver Anibal Sanchez for five innings, the offense continued its late season swoon and went down without much of a fight. Scott Kingery managed to tie the game in the third with a solo home run, but Nola needed to be perfect in order to win. Unfortunately for him, something called a Lane Adams made sure he wasn’t, hitting a home run in the fifth inning that gave the Braves a lead they would ultimately protect.

Nola did cross the 200 inning level for the year, raising questions about whether he might be done for 2018 as well.

Ultimately, though, it looks like the team will reward him for his stellar season by granting him his final wish of the year.

This is a good thing too.

There’s nothing more to say about this game.