Aaron Nola notches second consecutive strong start for Phillies in victory over Mets

The curveball is more than merely Aaron Nola’s best pitch. It often serves as a bellwether for how effective he will be.

If it bends and bites and moves early in a game, opposing hitters won’t have much chance. If it doesn’t, well, cover your eyes.

So, when Nola struck out the New York Mets’ two best hitters with sweeping curveballs in the first inning Thursday, it was the best possible sign that the Phillies could have gotten.

True to form, Nola was brilliant. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed only a single to Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler in seven innings. He struck out 10 batters and left with a 1-0 lead.

“One of the things that I’ve started to notice is the walk-to-strikeout ratio is starting to look more like his,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “When he gets closer to that 3-to-1 ratio, he’s dangerous. Right now, he’s inching in that direction.”

Indeed, combined with his performance five days earlier against the Miami Marlins, there’s reason to believe Nola is poised to turn around a season that’s been disappointing. He has allowed one earned run on seven hits and two walks while racking up 20 strikeouts in his last 15 innings.

“I’m feeling good. My body’s been healthy and feeling really good,” Nola said. “Getting ahead of guys has been the main key and getting earlier outs with ground balls. Guys are hitting balls to our guys now, and our defense behind me is working really well. Just got to keep it going.”

A year and one week after the Phillies drafted him, 2018 first-round pick Alec Bohm got promoted to double A. It took 2017 first-rounder Adam Haseley 13 months to reach that level, and 11 months after that, he was in the big leagues.

Bryson Stott might be on a similar track.

Stott signed with the Phillies on Thursday and was introduced in a news conference. The 21-year-old shortstop from UNLV received a $3.9 million signing bonus, according to a source, slightly below the slot value of $4.04 million for the 14th overall pick in the draft.

The Phillies gave Stott something else, too, before sending him out to begin his professional career: a tour of the clubhouse, where he got to meet several players before Thursday’s game against the New York Mets.

"Just seeing all that stuff is pretty surreal," Stott said. "It was a lot more than I would've expected to see in a major-league clubhouse -- how big and how nice everything on the inside is. To be there one day is obviously the goal."

Stott is already well-acquainted with Bryce Harper, whose sister was coached in cheerleading by Stott's mother in their hometown of Las Vegas. Stott and Harper hang out in the offseason, often watching college football together.

The Phillies plan to send Stott to their spring-training facility in Clearwater, Fla., on Friday. Although assistant general manager Bryan Minniti wasn't specific about his minor-league assignment, it seems likely that Stott will follow fellow college products Bohm and Haseley in starting out in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League before moving up to short-season Williamsport with the possibility of getting a look at low-A Lakewood before the end of the season.

"I don't want to put that kind of pressure on him or any other player," Minniti said. "At the end of the day, these guys dictate their own path. Whatever he does, we'll move him accordingly. If he needs more time at a certain level, he'll get it. When he's ready to move to a different level, we'll get him moving."

With 12 homers in the four games against the Mets, the Phillies tied a single-series franchise record, matching a four-game set at Wrigley Field in 1977. … The Phillies recorded their first four-game sweep of the Mets since Aug. 27-30, 2007. … Vince Velasquez will get another chance to take hold of the fifth-starter spot by starting the series opener Friday night in Miami against Marlins right-hander Elieser Hernandez.