Phillies Ace Nola Officially Starting Game 2 of NLCS

The Philadelphia Phillies will officially go with their ace Aaron Nola in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Whether he'll be pitching with the team up or down in the series will be determined on Monday.

The Philadelphia Phillies are set to begin the National League Championship Series on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It will be a battle of the aces as Zack Wheeler will take on Zac Gallen in Game 1.

While Monday will get things started, the Phillies already know who their Game 2 starter is going to be on Tuesday.

There's no surprise that manager Rob Thomson is officially turning to Aaron Nola for the second game of the series.

After having a rollercoaster type of season, the ace has turned his game around during his last four starts, including two gems in the playoffs.

He finished the year with a 12-9 record and ERA of 4.46, an increase from his ERA of 3.25 in 2022.

But his final two starts of the regular season saw him allow only three earned runs across 12 2/3 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts.

Nola leveled his game up in his two postseason starts, allowing two earned runs in 12 2/3 inning pitched against the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves.

It's been a welcome sight for Philadelphia who was wondering when the right hander would flash his top of the rotation stuff.

He'll be tasked with shutting down a red hot Diamondbacks offense that mirrors what the Phillies have accomplished in the playoffs so far.

In his career, Nola has struggled against Arizona, holding a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 7.67 across five starts. However, in his lone appearance against that team this year, he picked up a victory when allowing four earned runs in 6 2/3 innings pitched with nine strikeouts.

The ace will need to continue his top form heading into Tuesday's matchup against a team that can put multiple runs on the board in spurts.