Karns pitches, hits Rays past Nola, Phillies, 1

Nola’s debut is pretty much all Phillies fans have been waiting for since the season began.

“When pitchers get hit, most of the time it’s mistakes, a hanging slider of a fastball that’s not located where you want it”, Mackanin said.

With two off days in the next week, the Phillies don’t need a fifth starter.

AARON NOLA remembers the Friday nights at “The Box” as if they were yesterday, because, well, it was almost yesterday he called LSU’s “electric” ballpark his home. Let the kid pitch.

Rodon was drafted four spots ahead of Nola, and from that draft class only he and Cubs catcher Kyle Schwarber have debuted before the Phils’ right-hander.

This lefty is the Cardinals’ top pitching prospect.

The Orioles have held onto him through years of trade rumors but he hasn’t yet cracked their rotation on a full-time basis.

For the Rays, it was the first time this season a pitcher has gotten a hit after 14 failures.

A serious injury to Maikel Franco would be a devastating blow to the Phillies. Surprisingly, the opposing pitcher gave him trouble.

When he did, there was no looking back. In 20 starts, he went 10-6 with a 3.29 ERA. But he was brought to the majors to pitch and to win, not necessarily to be groomed.

Fortunately for Buchanan, he was facing the equally struggling Moore, also 26, a left-hander with a 7.07 ERA in three starts. He’ll be vying for his first victory of the season on Monday.

The D-backs excel at trading valuable players at a young age. The timetable for his return is uncertain.

So it is that the Rays, 40-30 on June 20, are now 47-48. He led off the third inning with a homer to left. “And will that happen in the first five outings of his career?”

“It’s really electric over there”, Nola said. Gray, like Nola, can throw in the mid-90s but relies more on pinpoint command.

First pitch is at 7:05.

So, is there pressure to pitch well with deadline day lurking? He struck out eight and didn’t issue a walk.

“We laughed about it because in typical fashion, of course, he’ll have his worst start the one before he comes to the big leagues”, Amaro said. That’s a six-inning average and a 3.13 ERA. Four Philadelphia relievers struck out five while pitching 2 2/3 hitless, scoreless innings.NOTES: The Phillies placed RHP Chad Billingsley on the 15-day disabled list with an injured right elbow. He threw 92 pitches. It also was the first homer for Karns, who had been 0 for 5 in his career at the plate, and just the second by a Tampa Bay pitcher in club history. He was the seventh overall pick of the draft.

Nola arrived in Philadelphia on Monday, and while he said he’s “just ready to get things started around here”, sounded nothing like a savior. He took some grounders July 12 in San Francisco and is “getting closer” to being able to go on a rehab assignment, according to interim manager Pete Mackanin.