Philadelphia Phillies Can Advance to NLDS With Win on Saturday

Can Aaron Nola follow in Zack Wheeler's footsteps and lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a win on Saturday?

© Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Friday was fun, wasn't it?

Well, not until the ninth inning, anyway. The Philadelphia Phillies were shutout for 8.1 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card series.

Down to their final two outs, a miraculous and improbable comeback ensued against one of the best relievers in the game. Ryan Helsley had allowed nine earned runs all season up until Friday's ninth inning.

Helsley exited, having allowed four earned runs and surrendering the Cardinals' 2-0 lead. It was an incredible comeback by Philadelphia, playing in their first playoff game in over a decade. 

The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the series, and thus, have a chance to advance to the NL Division Series with a win on Saturday night at Busch Stadium. 

Just as they have since April, the Phillies' starting staff put them in a position to win. Zack Wheeler, although limited to just 15 innings in his last three regular season starts, went the distance in Game 1. 

He pitched 6.1 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just two hits, a walk, and striking out four on 96 pitches. For his first postseason appearance, it wasn't too shabby.

Aaron Nola will look to have a similar outing on Saturday. The right-hander was locked in during his last start in Houston on Oct. 3. He had a perfect game going until the seventh inning, which was broken up by Yordan Alvarez. Overall, he left the game with just two hits allowed and nine strikeouts across 6.2 innings.

Aaron Nola throws a pitch at Minute Maid Park / © Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

This will be Nola's first taste of playoff baseball, and he will feel it, with temperatures in the 40s on Saturday in St. Louis. Although the longest-tenured Phillie enjoys the warmth, Nola proved in September and in his last start that he can be a big game pitcher.

Moreover, the Phillies' offense proved on Friday that they can never be counted out of a ballgame, so with a strong outing from Nola, they have a solid chance to pull out a win on Saturday and advance to the NLDS. They would be opposed by the NL East champion Atlanta Braves.

Should they advance, the Phillies would then bring postseason baseball back to Philadelphia, something the city has been craving since the 2011 squad's early exit all those years ago. The stakes are high—every at-bat, and every pitch—counts.

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