After dropping games 3 and 4, and giving everyone in the Delaware Valley severe heartburn, the Phillies finally righted the ship in game 5. Zack Wheeler shut the Diamondbacks down, holding them to just 1 run over 7 innings. The bats woke up and scored 6 runs, thanks to HRs by Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and JT Realmuto. They won 6-1, and now need just one more win to get the World Series. Aaron Nola gets the first crack at accomplishing that feat on Monday Night.

Coming into this October, Nola had a 4.91 ERA in the Post-Season. He was great against the Cardinals and Braves last year but then fell apart once the Phillies got to the NLCS. It got even worse in the World Series. This year he was once again fantastic in the first two rounds. The difference is, at least in his first start, he was great in the NLCS too. Nola pitched 6 shutout innings in game 2 vs the DBacks. He also allowed only 3 hits and struck out 7 guys.

It continued the run of the Phillies starters being completely dominant thus far in the postseason.  They have a 1.48 ERA across 11 games. That just so happens to be the lowest ERA by a starting rotation across 11 playoff games in playoff history.

Aaron Nola has been a huge part of that. He has thrown 18.2 innings, has allowed just 2 earned runs, and has 19 strikeouts. They have also won all 3 games he started. Nola has stepped up and delivered every time they have asked him to so far this postseason. And despite his bad ERA in the regular season, he has been pretty great at home all year long. Can he step up again to get the Phillies to the World Series though? Let’s find out.

Here Is How Aaron Nola Has Pitched Against This Diamondbacks Lineup In The Past: