August delivered a historic run for the Philadelphia Phillies, who closed the month with a tense 2-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Monday night.
The win gave Philadelphia a 21-7 record in August, the best mark in Major League Baseball. The Phillies’ dominant month came after they struggled to a 9-15 record in July.
“Twenty-two and six would have been all right, too,” manager Don Mattingly joked.
With the regular season entering its final month, the Phillies are tied with the Chicago Cubs for the National League’s top wild-card position. They trail the first-place Atlanta Braves by four games in the NL East with 24 games remaining. Philadelphia and Atlanta will meet seven times over the next two weeks, beginning with Friday night’s series opener at Citizens Bank Park.
Although the Phillies are chasing the Braves, Mattingly said the team remains focused on the immediate challenge. Monday’s game was the first of a series against the Diamondbacks, who are also firmly involved in the National League wild-card race.
“It’s day-to-day business at this point,” Mattingly said. “You can’t worry about tomorrow. Just take care of today. Arizona is a difficult club. We have to win games. It’s as simple as that. We can’t look past anyone.”
Philadelphia secured the win behind a strong start from Aaron Nola, effective relief pitching and important hits from Bryson Stott and Bryce Harper.
Stott hit a 464-foot home run in the second inning, the longest of his career and the eighth-longest in the majors this season. Harper followed with an RBI double in the third inning, extending his on-base streak to 33 games.
Those were the Phillies’ only runs, but their pitching made the lead hold up.
Nola earned the win after allowing one run over five innings. He has posted a 2.50 ERA across his last seven starts.
The right-hander had thrown 92 pitches through five innings and began the sixth with Philadelphia holding a one-run advantage. After quickly allowing a single and a walk, Nola was replaced by Alex McFarlane in a high-pressure situation. The 25-year-old rookie right-hander responded by recording three outs to preserve the lead.
McFarlane’s biggest moment came after he fell behind Nolan Arenado 3-1. He recovered to strike out the veteran on a 99-mph fastball and a sweeper for the second out.
“For a kid who debuted a month ago, the demeanor he has on the mound in a situation like that is pretty incredible,” catcher Garrett Stubbs said. “Arenado’s a really good hitter. You want to attack him and not be afraid of him. In that moment, you look out at him on the mound and he didn’t show anything but wanting to attack the zone.”
Nola praised McFarlane’s performance.
“That’s pretty special right there. Pretty awesome,” Nola said. “I left him in a tough spot, two guys on and no outs. He navigated through it really nicely. The strikeout of Arenado was pretty awesome. He’s got a lot of composure out there. He doesn’t really pitch like a rookie. He fills up the zone. I know he had a couple of three-ball counts, but that didn’t faze him. He’s electric.”
McFarlane understood the challenge of facing Arenado.
“Seeing Arenado in the box is a great thing,” he said. “The respect I have for that guy, watching him over the years. He’s a great hitter and Hall of Fame player. I love the opportunity to face those guys. It was great.”
McFarlane has surrendered only one earned run in his first 10 1/3 major-league innings. He has appeared four times in the first seven games of Philadelphia’s road trip, throwing four scoreless innings without allowing a hit. He has walked two batters and struck out five.
“He’s handled everything we’ve thrown at him,” Mattingly said. “We’ve put him in some tough spots lately. That was probably the toughest spot tonight. His stuff plays. When he’s in the zone and attacking, he’s pretty good. He doesn’t seem to be overwhelmed by anything at this point.”
With the postseason race intensifying, McFarlane could become an important part of the Phillies’ bullpen.
“This was a big game,” Mattingly said. “He was a factor tonight. He’s got stuff. He’s throwing strikes for the most part. He’s got weapons. When you throw 102 (mph) with a good slider and can sink it, as well, you’ve got weapons.”
Orion Kerkering and Brooks Raley combined for a scoreless seventh inning. Jose Alvarado worked around trouble to post a scoreless eighth, and Jhoan Duran survived two infield hits in the ninth to record his 29th save. Duran finished the game with the potential tying run on third base.
The Phillies have won 14 of their last 16 games.
Philadelphia now turns to September, with Jesús Luzardo scheduled to start Tuesday night.
Phillies Add Rafael Marchan and Grant Holman
Major League rosters expand to 28 players Tuesday, and the Phillies will add catcher Rafael Marchan and right-handed reliever Grant Holman.
Marchan went on the injured list in late July with left knee tendinitis and had been completing a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Holman, 26, was claimed by Philadelphia off waivers from Detroit in May. He appeared in 20 games for Lehigh Valley, recording a 3.12 ERA with 25 strikeouts and five walks over 26 innings.
Holman, who has previous major-league experience with the Athletics, has already played for five organizations in 2026. He was waived four times.
