<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-cardinals-planning-huge-offseason-pursuit-of-phillies-star-aaron-nola');   ga('set', 'title', 'RUMOR: Cardinals planning huge offseason pursuit of Phillies star Aaron Nola');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Phillies-Cardinals-Nolan-Arenado-Aaron-Nola.jpeg"></figure><h1>RUMOR: Cardinals planning huge offseason pursuit of Phillies star Aaron Nola</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-09-17T08:49:36-07:00">September 17th, 8:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-09-17T08:49:36-07:00">September 17th, 8:49am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The St. Louis Cardinals clinched a losing record by dropping a home contest to the Philadelphia Phillies. Aaron Nola started the 5-4 win, allowing two runs in 4.2 innings. If the Cardinals could get it their way, he will be suiting up for them next year.</p><p>Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said after the trade deadline that the team will <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-st-louis-gm-lays-out-key-objective-for-offseason-following-trade-deadline-firesale" rel="noopener">heavily pursue pitching</a> this offseason. After trading away Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks on top of having Adam Wainwright in his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-adam-wainwright-closer-200-win-milestone" rel="noopener">final season</a>, St. Louis lacks pitching depth for next year.</p><p>Nola is projected to be very high on the Cardinals’ offseason <a href="https://www.stltoday.com/sports/professional/mlb/cardinals/within-milestone-loss-four-who-could-help-cardinals-back-to-winning-ways-ones-a-phillie/article_4da9497a-53ed-11ee-ac99-13bb85821c60.html" rel="noopener">list of free-agent targets</a>, according to Derrick, Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 30-year-old is the type of experienced hurler they hope will bring them back into the postseason.</p><p>“The Cardinals, according to sources, intend to make an overture to attempt and sign him, and they’re aware of the auction that will develop for the right-hander. He’s had the consistent 200-inning, 200-strikeout seasons they covet, and he’s had postseason success – right here in river city, right in front of their eyes,” writes Goold, referring in his last sentence to Nola’s scoreless outing in last year’s Wild Card round.</p><p>Aaron Nola has the reputation of a star, as he was named a 2018 All-Star and has received Cy Young award votes in three of the last five seasons, including last year. But 2023 has not been a good one for the Phillies’ No. 2 starter. He has a 4.62 ERA for the season, is allowing home runs at a career-worst rate and has shown a tendency to get shelled later in his starts, posting a 5.54 ERA in innings three through six.</p><p>In years past, though, Nola has been a strikeout artist with his collection of off-speed pitches. He entered this season with a 3.47 ERA since 2018. The Phillies pitcher has been durable, too, and the Cardinals clearly see a talented veteran they believe they can get the best out of. If they are unsuccessful in their potential pursuit, they still have tons of backup options.</p><p>This MLB offseason will see a ton of big-name pitchers hit the open market even with Shohei Ohtani being shut down from pitching for next year. Nola (along with Montgomery and Flaherty) will join Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn on the open market. Lance Lynn, Charlie Morton, Eduardo Rodriguez, Marcus Stroman and Alex Cobb are among the others who could join them.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: Cardinals planning huge offseason pursuit of Phillies star Aaron Nola

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/phillies-news-aaron-nola-potential-contract-extension-dave-dombrowski');   ga('set', 'title', 'Aaron Nola’s potential contract extension with Phillies gets honest take from Dave Dombrowski');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/phillies-news-aaron-nolas-potential-contract-extension-with-philly-gets-honest-take-from-dave-dombrowski.jpg"></figure><h1>Aaron Nola’s potential contract extension with Phillies gets honest take from Dave Dombrowski</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-20T13:12:09-07:00">July 20th, 1:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-20T13:12:09-07:00">July 20th, 1:12pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matthew Wadleigh was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno. He lives with his wife and two dogs. He is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia Phillies are hoping to make the playoffs after they made a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-2-targets-after-trea-turner-signing" rel="noopener">World Series run last season</a>. One big question mark they are facing for the future is regarding pitcher Aaron Nola. Will the Phillies sign him to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-news-aaron-nola-philadelphia-contract-extension-free-agency" rel="noopener">long-term deal</a> or let him walk? Well, Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski <a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1682104555561971715" rel="noopener">opened up</a> on those discussions with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman.</p><p>“We love Aaron Nola. He’s a great pitcher…He’s somebody we’d love to keep in the organization for a long time…I’m sure it’s something we’ll re-engage once the season is over…We’ll see what happens.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dave Dombrowski talks here about the Phillies’ interest in keeping Nola long-term. Hits on Bryce, Trea, Schwarber, deadline in full cast. <a href="https://twitter.com/Joelsherman1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@joelsherman1</a> and I hit the Yanks harder than usual, and of course talk Shohei<br>Apple: <a href="https://t.co/TwE4NXBa9l">https://t.co/TwE4NXBa9l</a><br>Spotify: <a href="https://t.co/MuqVguE2CQ">https://t.co/MuqVguE2CQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/T0UhhGYjBQ">pic.twitter.com/T0UhhGYjBQ</a></p><p>— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1682104555561971715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-news-aaron-nola-philadelphia-contract-extension-free-agency" rel="noopener">Phillies and Nola went</a> back and forth before the season started but were ultimately unable to come to an agreement on a new deal, which could be concerning for the two sides. But, as Dombrowski mentions, they want to keep him long-term and Nola has been there since the beginning.</p><p>He went 11-13 last year with a 3.25 ERA but has taken a bit of a step back, going 9-6 with a 4.27 ERA in 20 starts so far this season. What the future holds for Aaron Nola remains up in the air, but the next couple of months will be important, especially if Nola wants to get paid handsomely this offseason and stay in Philadelphia.</p><p>Aaron Nola also expressed his desire to remain with the franchise in the offseason, so there is definitely hope on both sides in terms of striking a long-term deal. However, at this point, he is set to become a free agent once the season concludes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Aaron Nola’s potential contract extension with Phillies gets honest take from Dave Dombrowski

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rays-news-zach-eflin-true-feelings-about-losing-duel-against-aaron-nola-phillies');   ga('set', 'title', '‘It sucks’: Rays’ Zach Eflin shares true feelings about losing duel against Aaron Nola, Phillies');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/it-sucks-zach-eflin-shares-true-feelings-about-losing-duel-against-aaron-nola-phillies.jpg"></figure><h1>‘It sucks’: Rays’ Zach Eflin shares true feelings about losing duel against Aaron Nola, Phillies</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-04T20:49:53-07:00">July 4th, 8:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-04T20:50:34-07:00">July 4th, 8:50pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Revenge games do not always go exactly how a player envisions. While Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zach Eflin surely wanted to defeat his former team, Philadelphia Phillies’ Aaron Nola ruined his plans with a gem of his own in a 3-1 win, Tuesday.</p><p>Eflin, who wanted to stay in Philadelphia before signing a three-year, $40 million contract in free agency, was obviously disappointed about how things went. Though, the righty could not <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2023/07/04/rays-phillies-zach-eflin-aaron-nola/" rel="noopener">help but recall</a> all of the good times he had with his former teammates, whom with he shared an unforgettable World Series trip last year.</p><p>“It sucks to have lost that game, obviously, to the Phillies,” Eflin said, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. “But I’ll tell you what, I enjoyed every single day I had competing with those guys, and it was fun to kind of throw it back and compete against them”</p><p>The mixed emotions and humble response perfectly sum up the classiness that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rays-tampa-bay-veterans-message-wander-franco-benching" rel="noopener">Eflin consistently exudes</a>. He is fully embracing his time with the Rays and is currently posting a 3.24 ERA. The Rays boast the American League’s best record at 57-31, so the 29-year-old has a chance to be a part of another special group this season. Still, he has nothing but love for that 2022 Phillies squad, especially the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-news-aaron-nola-facing-brother-zach-eflin-striking-out-12-rays" rel="noopener">guy who beat him</a> on the mound.</p><p>“There’s just a bunch of tremendous people over there, and on top of that, I got to pitch against my best friend. So as good as he did, it would have been nice to win the game. But I’m super happy for him and looking forward to trying to get the series right (Wednesday).”</p><p>Aaron Nola was in top form, striking out 12 batters while allowing just one run in just over seven innings of work. If he can deal at that level on a regular basis, Philadelphia could replicate the same magic that culminated in an improbable pennant run. But the team would probably be feeling a tad more confident if Zach Eflin was still there.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

‘It sucks’: Rays’ Zach Eflin shares true feelings about losing duel against Aaron Nola, Phillies

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/phillies-news-aaron-nola-facing-brother-zach-eflin-striking-out-12-rays');   ga('set', 'title', 'Phillies’ Aaron Nola gets real on facing ‘brother’ Zach Eflin after striking out 12 Rays');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NolaEflin.jpeg"></figure><h1>Phillies’ Aaron Nola gets real on facing ‘brother’ Zach Eflin after striking out 12 Rays</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-04T18:13:31-07:00">July 4th, 6:13pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-04T18:13:31-07:00">July 4th, 6:13pm</time><address><a>Peter Alexis</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola dominated the Tampa Bay Rays on Independence Day, and he had a blast doing it against his former teammate Zach Eflin.</p><p>Nola and Eflin were teammates in Philadelphia for seven seasons, and have <a href="https://twitter.com/nbcsphilly/status/1676368270469787648?s=12&amp;t=bm8qRt18zuhlXFzV7rKRAQ" rel="noopener">built a great bond</a> over the years. It meant extra for Nola to defeat his former teammate, after 7.1 innings of one run baseball and a 3-1 victory for the Phils.</p><p>“Honestly it kind of felt like when I faced my brother. The emotion, the nerves — it was awesome.”</p><p>Nola faced his older brother Austin of the San Diego Padres last fall in the divisional round of the playoffs. The event made headline news, as it was the first sibling pair to ever face each other in the playoffs, and his older brother got the best of him. Austin tallied an RBI single off of Aaron, and helped the Padres to a victory in the matchup.</p><p>The two friends were <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-starting-rotation-aaron-nola-zack-wheeler-showing-signs-of-life" rel="noopener">dueling on the bump</a> on the July 4th holiday, both going seven innings each and only allowing a combined three runs.</p><p>“It was fun facing Ef out there, we were with each other for so long, and he was nasty tonight too,” Nola remarked.</p><p>The Phillies have been on fire as of late, going 18-8 in the month of June, and winning seven of their last 10. They are competing in a heavy NL East division, and will need more strong performances out of Aaron Nola to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-news-why-philly-wont-sell-at-2023-mlb-trade-deadline-per-team-president" rel="noopener">propel them into the playoffs</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Phillies’ Aaron Nola gets real on facing ‘brother’ Zach Eflin after striking out 12 Rays

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/phillies-news-rob-thomson-breaks-silence-on-controversial-ejection-after-aaron-nola-pitch-clock-chaos');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rob Thomson breaks silence on controversial ejection after Aaron Nola pitch clock chaos');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Phillies-Rob-Thomson-Aaron-Nola.jpeg"></figure><h1>Rob Thomson breaks silence on controversial ejection after Aaron Nola pitch clock chaos</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-06-11T06:29:18-07:00">June 11th, 6:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-06-11T06:29:18-07:00">June 11th, 6:29am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia Phillies have hit their stride recently. A walk-off home run from Kyle Schwarber against the Los Angeles Dodgers made it six straight wins. But their momentum took a temporary halt in an intense game that featured an ejection of manager Rob Thomson.</p><p>In the sixth inning of the Phillies’ Saturday matchup with the Dodgers, Aaron Nola requested a different ball but was instead given a pitch-clock violation. The umpire, Roberto Ortiz, felt like Nola was discarding balls in an attempt to reset the pitch clock. Thomson was livid and argued with Ortiz and third base umpire Bill Miller. He was tossed but <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinLever3/status/1667649464742322177?s=20" rel="noopener">given a standing ovation</a> from the Philly crowd.</p><p>After the game, in which the Phillies lost 9-0 due partly to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-bobby-miller-phillies-fernando-valenzuela-mlb-history" rel="noopener">another strong game</a> from Los Angeles pitcher Bobby Miller, Thomson and Nola sounded off on the ordeal. Both of them insisted that the pitchers have to be able to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/rob-thomson-pitch-clock-aaron-nola-mlb-b2fce6ce844a421e974c8ba8a2bed4a4" rel="noopener">discard balls when necessary</a>, according to Aaron Bracy of the Associated Press.</p><p>“I was feeling it and walking back to the mound,” Nola said, via AP. “The clock had started. I wanted to throw the ball off to get an extra second. Guess they didn’t like that. Balls are slick. I need to rub them up. Sometimes they’re chalky, sometimes they’re slick, sometimes the seams are bigger than others, sometimes they’re smaller.”</p><p>The pitch clock has been under scrutiny often during its debut season but the Phillies are already not very happy with the new rules. It was discovered that pitch-clock violations are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-news-philadelphia-wild-pitch-clock-conspiracy" rel="noopener">more frequent at Citizens Bank Park</a> than anywhere else in MLB.</p><p>“Part of the rule says you aren’t supposed to delay, but it doesn’t specifically talk about tossing baseballs out,” Thomson said, via AP. “Baseballs are all different. They feel different in a pitcher’s hand. Sometimes they get slick. I don’t know how you can tell a pitcher is throwing away a baseball because he doesn’t feel it or is trying to stall unless you’re a mind reader.”</p><p>The 2023 season has been a bumpy road for the Phillies, who have a record of just 31-33 so far.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
44	1.84	17	1.02	1

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
44	1.84	17	1.02	1

Aaron Nola

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Rob Thomson breaks silence on controversial ejection after Aaron Nola pitch clock chaos

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