Throughout this turbulent Phillies season, there has been one constant truth: When Aaron Nola takes the mound, the Phillies have the advantage in the starting pitching matchup. On Thursday night, that truth was put to the test when the Dodgers countered with the one man who might have been capable of neutralizing Nola’s advantage: Clayton Kerhsaw.
Fortunately for the Phillies, they were not getting the three-time Cy Young Award winner at the height of his powers. Kershaw was making his first start after coming off of a 30-day stay on the disabled list, so it wasn’t clear if we’d be getting the uber-ace of recent seasons, or something less.