Bryson Stott #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting a single during the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park on June 05, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA - Aaron Nola tossed two-hit ball over seven shutout innings and Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer to send the Philadelphia Phillies off to London with the best record in the National League after a 2-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.
The Phillies completed the three-game sweep of the NL Central leaders and improved to 44-19 overall as they head overseas for a weekend set against the New York Mets.
Nola (8-2) struck out five, walked none and has almost seemed like a bargain this season for the NL East leaders after signing a $172 million, seven-year contract in the offseason.
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"It's where I always wanted to be," Nola said.
Jeff Hoffman tossed a scoreless eighth and José Alvarado worked the ninth for his 11th save.
Brewers starter Aaron Ashby (0-2) struggled with command in his second start after spending the 2023 season out of the majors as he recovered from shoulder surgery, though he did make seven minor league appearances.
"He’s a big part of this," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "It’s been a long road for him. It’s kind of a big day that he’s back on the hill for us. He didn’t draw an easy straw in his first opponent."
Oh, just the best team in the National League.
The Phillies scored seven runs in the three games while Milwaukee only managed two.
"Taking these on the chin here against the best record in the National League, hopefully that sets in the right place for these guys and they understand, hey, we're right there," Murphy said. "I know this will be a good thing for our team to go through."
Ashby allowed two-out walks in the second and third innings but finished unscathed. He wasn't so lucky escaping his walks in the fifth. Ashby walked the first two batters before he got slugger Kyle Schwarber to hit into a double play. With a runner at third, Castellanos hit a 90 mph changeup into the left-center seats for his eighth homer of the year and a 2-0 lead.
Castellanos sent the Phillies to their fifth walk-off win of the season with a 10th inning double a night earlier. The 2023 All-Star has been on an uptick at the plate of late after a slow start, hitting .273 on the homestand.
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"He's not chasing much," manager Rob Thomson said. "He's using the entire field."
Nola only ran into trouble in the sixth after William Contreras led off with a double and reached third base on a groundout. Willy Adames then hit a grounder to third that Alec Bohm fielded and threw a perfect strike to backup catcher Garrett Stubbs that nailed Adames for the second out. Nola retired former Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins — booed in this at-bat — to end the inning.