Game one of the Phillies’ doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals saw them earn a win behind an excellent performance by starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo. In game two, Aaron Nola attempted to duplicate Luzardo’s effort. He came up a bit short in that regard. The Cardinals teed off on him, to the tune of 12 hits, including three home runs in 3.2 innings. The Phillies’ offense was unable to keep up, leading to a 14-7 loss.
If this wasn’t the worst start of Nola’s career, it’s very near the top of that list. He gave up singles to the first two batters he faced, and while he was able to limit the damage to one run, it was a precursor of things to come.