Aaron Nola was the man Gabe Kapler wanted on the mound with Manny Machado at the plate and the tying run on third base.
It was the right move.
Nola stuck out nine in seven splendid innings Nyheim Hines Color Rush Jersey , Nick Williams hit a two-run homer and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 Wednesday to sweep a two-game interleague series.
Nola (11-2) gave up one run and seven hits to win his fifth straight decision.
He escaped a jam on his 103rd pitch when second baseman Cesar Hernandez made an outstanding, over-the-shoulder running catch on Machador17;s shallow fly to right with two outs and runners on first and third.
r1;Thatr17;s awesome,r1; Nola said of the play.
Kapler, who was heavily criticized for pulling Nola after 68 pitches in the season opener at Atlanta, visited the mound before letting his ace face Machado with a 2-1 lead.
r1;We knew he was the best option,r1; the first-year manager said. r1;He always makes us feel confident.r1;
Nola said he wouldr17;ve lobbied to stay in but didnr17;t have to say anything other than he felt fine.
r1;I want to go deep in the game,r1; he said. r1;I want to get through that inning.r1;
After five consecutive losing seasons, the Phillies are on the rise under Kapler. They pulled within 1 1/2 games of NL East-leading Atlanta and moved 10 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2011 season with a franchise-record 102 wins.
r1;Itr17;s a nice milestone, one we can celebrate,r1; Kapler said.
Making his second career start and third appearance, Orioles right-hander Yefry Ramirez (0-2) retired 13 of his first 14 batters before running into trouble in the fifth. Ramirez gave up two runs r11; one earned r11; and one hit in five innings.
r1;I was really proud of Yefry. You couldnr17;t ask for much better,r1; Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.
Williams connected off David Hess in the seventh, sending a 409-foot shot into Philadelphiar17;s bullpen in right-center and extending the lead to 4-1.
Victor Arano tossed two scoreless innings for his first career save.
Ramirez didnr17;t allow a hit until Scott Kingery ripped a one-out double to left in the fifth. Williams, who walked, advanced to third on the hit.
Jorge Alfaro followed with a grounder down the first-base line. Chris Davis moved a few steps to his left, took his eyes off the ball to look at Williams running halfway down the line, and the ball knuckled under his glove. Both runners scored on the error.
Adam Jones lined an RBI double to left-center in the third, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead.
WELCOMING MANNY
For the second straight day Derwin James Color Rush Jersey , fans clapped each time Machado was introduced. They also chanted r1;We want Manny!r1;
The three-time All-Star is set to become a free agent after the season and the Phillies are among the teams interested in acquiring him before the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31 or signing him in the offseason.
Machado told reporters before the game he wants to play shortstop wherever he goes and he wouldnr17;t be surprised if Philadelphia aggressively pursued him. Phillies team president Andy MacPhail held the same position in Baltimore when the Orioles selected Machado No. 3 overall in the 2010 amateur draft.
TRAINERr17;S ROOM
Orioles: OF Joey Rickard was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to replace OF Colby Rasmus, who was placed on the restricted list before Tuesday nightr17;s game.
Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff was scheduled to throw another live batting practice at Single-A Clearwater. Eickhoff has nerve issue in fingers and hasnr17;t pitched this season.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Andrew Cashner (2-8, 4.48 ERA) starts the opener of a four-game series at Minnesota on Thursday night. Cashner had a 3.21 ERA in five starts in June but didnr17;t earn a win.
Phillies: Nick Pivetta (5-7, 4.66 ERA) takes the mound at Pittsburgh for the start of a three-game series on Friday. Pivetta earned the win in a scoreless inning of relief in Philadelphiar17;s 13-inning victory over Washington last Sunday.
r12;
Jared Goff hadnr17;t even been in the NFL for a full year when he stood at a podium in the Coliseum and took responsibility for the latest in the Ramsr17; long line of miserable seasons.
r1;I promise you guys it will get fixed,r1; the 22-year-old quarterback said after Los Angeles blew a late lead against the woeful 49ers and dropped to 4-11 on Christmas Eve 2016 . r1;(Ir17;ll do) everything in my heart and soul to get it all fixed.r1;
Just look at him now. One year later, Goff has already made good on his word in spectacular fashion r11; albeit with the help of a new coaching staff, a new left tackle and a bunch of new receivers.
The Rams (11-5) are a team transformed as they head into the first playoff game in 13 years on Saturday night against Atlanta (10-6). Goff is leading the way after putting up 3,804 yards and 28 TD passes, but he claims to be only one part of a remarkable machine built by first-year coach Sean McVay.
With the defending NFC champions visiting the Coliseum on a short week of preparation, Goff and the Rams arenr17;t wasting time deciding whor17;s responsible for one of the most remarkable single-season resurgences in recent NFL history.
r1;We want to go out there and operate the same way we would weekly,r1; Goff said Tuesday. r1;It makes no difference that wer17;re in the playoffs now. It is a little bit more meaning to it, but we want to treat it the same.r1;
The Rams already have secured their first winning season and division title since 2003. Theyr17;ve matched the franchiser17;s best record in LA since 1978 and improved by a whopping seven wins on last yearr17;s total. They did it all even while resting their starters and essentially conceding a loss in last weekendr17;s regular season finale against San Francisco.
This franchise hasnr17;t hosted a playoff game in the Los Angeles area since Jan. 4, 1986 r11; nearly nine years before Goff was born, and 20 days before the 31-year-old McVay was born.
r1;Until you take a step back (to see) what this team has done such a nice job with, you canr17;t fully appreciate the journey,r1; McVay said. r1;You try to, every now and then, enjoy it and not get so caught up in the moment that you canr17;t enjoy the experiences as your17;re going on that journey.r1;
Goff is getting his first postseason experience this weekend when he faces Matt Ryan Uchenna Nwosu Color Rush Jersey , the former MVP making his sixth postseason appearance in 10 years. After everything Goff has accomplished in the year since he vowed to fix the Rams, this latest challenge doesnr17;t appear to intimidate him.
r1;I think more than anything, itr17;s a big game,r1; Goff said. r1;Whatr17;s what it boils down to, and I think we do have experience in that stuff. We played a big game in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. We played a big game two weeks ago against Tennessee. We played a big game against the Eagles. We played a big game against Minnesota, against New Orleans. r30; Every play has a little bit more meaning to it.r1;
Just six Rams have playoff experience, including left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who went six times with the Cincinnati Bengals. When asked about the importance of playoff experience, Whitworth only laughed, saying he is r1;0-ferr1; r11; or 0-6 in postseason games.
r1;Even when I was in Cincinnati, the big games throughout the season were what prepared us to go to the playoffs,r1; Whitworth said. r1;As crazy an amount as this team has traveled, and the schedule wer17;ve gone through, I donr17;t see a scenario where I would in any way give us (excuses). Everywhere we have to go, wer17;ve gone and played well. We just need to go out and execute and play well.r1;
NOTES: Pro Bowl kick returner Pharoh Cooper missed practice after injuring his shoulder during last weekendr17;s loss to San Francisco. McVay isnr17;t overly worried: r1;I think itr17;s going to take a lot to keep him out of this game. I anticipate him being able to go, unless there are some setbacks throughout the course of the week. r30; Backup DB Blake Countess also missed practice with a concussion, while LB Mark Barron was limited by his Achillesr17; tendon injury.
