Aaron Nola pitched seven strong innings and Nick Castellanos supplied a three-run homer to guide the host Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
Nola (12-6) yielded just four singles and a walk while striking out six en route to his first victory since July 11. Jose Ruiz worked out of a jam in the eighth and Tanner Banks logged a 1-2-3 ninth to secure Philadelphia’s fourth straight win.
Jose Altuve registered two hits for the Astros, who have lost six of their past eight games. They will try to avoid a three-game series sweep on Wednesday.
The bulk of the Phillies’ offense came in the third, when they plated four runs against Houston starter Justin Verlander.
Austin Hays led off the frame with a double and scored on a one-out single by Trea Turner. Bryce Harper followed with a base hit before Castellanos came up with two outs and slammed a curveball over the left-center-field fence for his 18th homer of the season.
The hosts tacked on an insurance run in the seventh on another rally sparked by Hays. He led off with a base hit against Caleb Ferguson and moved to third when Turner singled with one out. Alec Bohm flared a two-out RBI double into the outfield among a trio of Astros defenders, pushing the advantage to 5-0.
Making his second start following a 2 1/2-month absence due to neck discomfort, Verlander (3-4) gave up four runs and seven hits in five innings. The 41-year-old right-hander walked one and struck out three.
The Astros’ best chances to score came in the fifth and eighth innings.
Ben Gamel and Jake Meyers led off with singles to open the fifth, but Nola retired the next three hitters, including Mauricio Dubon and Altuve on lineouts. Dubon reached on a base hit against Ruiz to begin the eighth and Yordan Alvarez singled with two outs, but Ruiz struck out Yainer Diaz to escape the frame unscathed.
–Field Level Media
