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Aaron Nola hangs tough as Phillies pound Mariners

The starter wasn’t sharp, but it didn’t matter much as the Phils broke the game open with four runs in the ninth.

SEATTLE — When the Phillies drafted Aaron Nola seventh overall in 2014, they did not view him as a savior. But they envisioned nights like Tuesday, with Nola on the mound and a rising pitch count and a manager checking his temperature in the taut seventh inning of an 8-2 Phillies win.

"I don't know if he thought I was taking him out or not," Pete Mackanin said.

"Kind of," Nola said.

Mackanin asked him how he felt. Good, Nola said.

"I just wanted to let him know that that was his game," Mackanin said. "He pitched so well up to that point."

Then Nola threw his 113th pitch, a career high, and it was a hanging curveball. Maikel Franco lunged for it. He fired to first for the third out. Nola yelled. He did not have his best command, yet he survived seven innings.

The bleeding, for one night, ceased.

The 24-year-old righthander threw more pitches Tuesday than any of the previous starters in the Phillies' first 75 games this season. He tied a career best with nine strikeouts, survived four walks, and owed Franco.

"I gave him a hug," Nola said.

The third baseman laughed.

"I don't know how I made that play," Franco said.

Nola posted a 3.24 ERA in five starts this month. Seattle did not hit him hard. He surrendered a first-pitch homer to Segura in the third inning, after a walk, and those were Seattle's only runs against him.

Concerns about Nola's health will linger until he completes a full season without issue, but he has looked more and more like the pitcher the Phillies hurried to the majors in 2015.

"He made pitches when he had to," Mackanin said. "He really kept us in the game."

The Phillies have just as high hopes for Franco, who reminded everyone Tuesday there is great talent contained within. He contributed the decisive swing, a solo homer in the seventh inning. He saved Nola's night with that diving stop at third base that stranded two Mariners on base. He doubled and scored a run in the fifth inning.

Franco's OPS is .667. That is the highest it's been since May 21.

"I keep waiting for it," Mackanin said. "It's good to see, little by little. I'd like to see him do it more often, but he's capable of it. We've seen him do it in the past."

Luis Garcia, the righthanded reliever, tracked Franco's homer from the bullpen. He reached out with his red Phillies hat and snagged the ball on the fly. Garcia, Franco's good friend, scampered around the bullpen in celebration. The Phillies broke the game open with four runs in the ninth.

Yes, even the team with the worst record in baseball is permitted some fun.

mgelb@philly.com

@mattgelb