Phillies 9, Yankees 8: Aaron Nola continues his adjustment to the pitch clock

TAMPA, Fla. — Four starts into spring training, with two more still to come, Aaron Nola is usually focused on using all of his pitches and fine-tuning his command.

This year, he has another concern: The pitch clock.

Nola, among the slowest-working Phillies pitchers, continued to adjust Wednesday to the 15-second timer with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on. It’s a process. But Nola said he’s getting more comfortable with each outing.

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“It’s more of an adjustment just overall,” Nola said after allowing one run on two hits and two walks in 3⅔ innings of a 9-8 victory over the Yankees. “Especially when a guy’s fouling balls off you and has a 12-pitch at-bat. Sometimes you want to slow yourself down, slow the game down, and visualize where you want to throw that pitch to strike him out or get a ground ball. We’re always taught to slow the game down.”

The situation arose in the first inning. Rafael Ortega worked a 12-pitch at-bat, including five foul balls in a row. After Nola finally struck him out, pitching coach Caleb Cotham came to the mound to give the pitcher a breather.

Overall, Nola felt strong after a 78-pitch outing. He’s expected to get up to six innings in his next start, which manager Rob Thomson said likely will occur in a minor-league game on a back field because the Phillies want to control the setting.

Nola is lined up to start opening day for the sixth consecutive year, although Thomson said the Phillies haven’t finalized the rotation. If Nola does start the opener on March 30 in Texas, he would have the third-longest opening-day start streak in franchise history, trailing Robin Roberts (1950-61) and Steve Carlton (1977-86).

On the mound: Hard-throwing lefty reliever Gregory Soto gave up four runs on two hits and two walks and recorded only two outs in the sixth inning. Soto was making his second appearance after arriving to camp late because of visa complications in the Dominican Republic. But he also has been dogged by control issues throughout his career. It bears watching.

What stood out: Utility infielder Josh Harrison finished with two hits. ... Outfielder Dalton Guthrie was robbed of a home run in the ninth inning. ... The Phillies sent 12 batters to the plate in a seven-run first inning against three Yankees pitchers who threw a total of 59 pitches. Given the long wait, Thomson asked for Nola to get extra time to warm up before the bottom of the first. The umpires granted the request, although they said Nola wouldn’t receive extra time in the regular season. “That’s something we’ve got to clear up,” Thomson said. ... Not even the pitch clock could compensate for a total of 21 walks between the two teams. Time of game: 3 hours, 30 minutes.

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Quotable: “The stuff is there. You can see it. I mean, it’s 98-99, the slider’s good. He tried to throw his changeup. Just erratic.” —Thomson on Soto’s rough inning

On deck: Zack Wheeler will get his fourth Grapefruit League start at 6:05 p.m. Thursday against the Tigers in Lakeland, Fla.