Field Level Media
May 31, 2018
Aaron Nola allowed just one run over seven innings Thursday and Jorge Alfaro drove in two runs as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies held on for a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw went five innings in his first start in nearly a month, giving up one run on four hits, before leaving due to back tightness. The lefty was due to undergo an MRI exam on his back.
Kershaw last pitched May 1, spending time on the disabled list with left biceps tendinitis. His first pitch of the game was hit into center field for a single by Cesar Hernandez.
Nola (7-2) struck out seven, including six of the last eight batters he faced. He gave up one run for the second consecutive outing and finished May having allowed one earned run or less in five of his six starts. Seranthony Dominguez recorded the final six outs for his second save.
Nola had a 1.80 ERA over 40 innings in the month after posting a 2.58 ERA over his first six starts. He has given up just three hits over his last two starts combined (13 2/3 innings) after holding the Toronto Blue Jays to one hit Saturday.
The Phillies scored their lone run off Kershaw in the second inning on Alfaro's RBI single to center field. The Dodgers tied the game in the fifth inning on an Enrique Hernandez RBI single off Nola.
Alfaro put the Phillies on top for good with an RBI double in the seventh inning off reliever Josh Fields (2-2). Alfaro was thrown out trying to extend the hit to a triple.
Dodgers relievers Pedro Baez and Tony Cingrani each struck out the side in their one inning of work.
The Dodgers went 6-4 on their season-long 10-game homestand and have won 10 of their last 14 games despite the loss. The Phillies' 10-game road trip heads to San Francisco for the weekend.
--Field Level Media