Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola had a rollercoaster outing on Saturday during his start against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Nola surrendered an early home run to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before settling down and reaching a major career milestone, surpassing the 2,000 strikeout mark and becoming just the second pitcher in franchise history to do so.
Unfortunately, his night came to a close shortly after. Nola was struck by a comebacker hit at over 100 mph in the lower left leg and ankle in the top of the sixth inning.
He attempted to stay in the game and warmed up by throwing a few pitches, but ultimately left with trainers after feeling discomfort. The Phillies announced an update on his condition moments later.
"Aaron Nola has a bruised right knee. X-rays negative," reported Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation.
Saturday marked one of Nola's better outings in what has been a challenging year, making the timing of the injury all the more frustrating. He lowered his ERA to 5.47 across 24 appearances and now has 129 strikeouts in 125 innings of work on the season.
Manager Don Mattingly will likely provide further updates on his condition after the game. The Phillies already lack depth in their starting rotation, so the hope is that Nola will not miss any time and will be able to make his next start rather than head to the injured list.
Even with his struggles this season, Nola's track record makes him a far better option than anyone else the organization has available to step in behind him.
