Phillies' Aaron Nola Dominates Mets in 1-0 Series Opener Win

Aaron Nola delivered a strong bounce-back performance for the Philadelphia Phillies, pitching six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to lead the team to a 1-0 victory over the New York Mets. This marked Nola's best start of the year, after struggling with an 8.38 ERA in his previous four outings since returning from the injured list. The lone run came in the second inning, driven in by Nick Castellanos following singles from Max Kepler and Harrison Bader, though Bader was caught attempting to stretch a single into a double. Mets rookie Nolan McLean, who had previously shut out the Phillies for eight innings, pitched well again but allowed seven hits and one run over 5 1/3 innings, showing a diverse pitch mix to challenge the Phillies lineup. The Phillies' bullpen held firm, and the win extended Philadelphia's NL East lead to eight games, despite key injuries to players like Trea Turner and Alec Bohm. The victory highlighted the veterans' ability to step up in a pitchers' duel against a strong Mets rookie pitching staff.