OOTP 6/27: Diamondbacks 10, Phillies 6

What’s worse than your ace getting knocked around in the first inning of a game?

How about that same ace having to exit thanks to an injury!

This was not a fun game.

The game was just a bust. It started out terrible, Aaron Nola allowing two runs in the first inning before he even got the first out thanks to a single, single, double and sacrifice fly. Once that inning was over, Nola went straight to the locker room with an injury, ending his night and casting a pall over the rest of the game.

The rest of the night was an admirable struggle for the team, the bullpen bleeding runs a little at a time, but the offense made it a game late.

Scott Kingery connected for his 11th home run of the year in the fifth inning, but by that time, it was already 6-1. When the Phillies got two in the seventh thanks to a double from Kingery, a single from Logan Forsythe and an RBI groundout from Jean Segura, the score was 7-3. Bryce Harper and Jay Bruce homered back-to-back in the eighth, but it was 10-5.

That was the problem with this game. Every time the team valiantly fought back to make it a fight, the bullpen just kept giving it back. You can’t really fault them. Even when they were on their midseason suprising run of competence, the holes in the bullpen were obvious. If the Phillies want to hold onto their virtual division lead, those holes need to get plugged.

After the game, it was announced that Nola had a pulled abdominal muscle and would be day-to-day, probably not missing his next start.

The two teams go back at tomorrow afternoon.