Nola steady in possible Phillies audition

Through the first two months of his season, Aaron Nola had certainly earned a chance to pitch in front his organizationa's bigwigs. On Wednesday, he got his chance, even if he didn't know it. 

With general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and president Pat Gillick in attendance at Double-A Reading's FirstEnergy Stadium on Wednesday, the Phillies' No. 2 prospect struck out seven and allowed only four hits and a walk over seven innings as the Fightin Phils blanked New Hampshire, 4-0. 

Nola improved to 6-2 with a 1.54 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in eight starts (52 2/3 innings) for Double-A Reading. 

The 21-year-old right-hander didn't run into much trouble Wednesday but did need to escape small jams in the fourth and sixth innings to preserve his third scoreless start of the season. After Jorge Flores singled and stole second in the fourth, Nola forced a fielder's choice and a fly out to center to get out of the frame. In the sixth, with the bases loaded and one out, he got Ronald Torreyes to bounce into a double play. He exited after the seventh, having thrown 103 pitches, 70 for strikes.

"I felt good today," he said. "My changeup was really working, and I was able to throw some quality innings. The fourth inning, I kinda threw a lot of pitches, got behind on some hitters, but for the most part, everything went well."

Nola said he wasn't told before he took the mound that Amaro and Gillick would be two of the 6,893 in attendance Wednesday and so their presence didn't add any pressure. However, he does have a plan for what he wants to show the higher-ups in the system, whether they see him live or not.

"I just want to go out and compete and not give up, whether they're scoring runs on me or not," he said. "I don't want to get down at any point or show anybody that I'm down -- just keep pitching and competing, no matter what."

Questions about when he will arrive in Philadelphia have chased Nola since the Phillies took him with the seventh overall pick last June. Armed with a plus fastball and changeup to go with an average slider, the former LSU hurler was considered the most advanced arm in his Draft class and most likely to climb a Minor League ladder quickly. 

Those questions didn't go away last season, when he posted a 2.93 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 55 1/3 innings at Class A Advanced Clearwater and Reading, and they've certainly gotten louder, given his numbers through his first eight starts and the Phillies' rough 17-24 start and move into rebuilding mode.

But as much as Phils fans want to see what MLB.com's No. 36 overall prospect can do on the game's biggest stage, the pitcher himself claims he still has things to learn two levels down in the Eastern League and that he's content -- for now -- to be growing with fellow prospects Zach Eflin, Ben Lively, Tom Windle and Jesse Biddle in the Fightin Phils rotation.

"I still gotta be consistent," he said. "I'm really still learning the game here, and I can learn from watching the other guys go out there too. I still have to learn about hitters and how to attack them.

"Probably the biggest thing I've learned so far is slowing the game down a lot and really focusing on every pitch," he said. "You have to set up the hitters here if you're going to get them out. So far it's been good. I've been lucky to have my catcher [Gabriel Lino] on the same page, and he caught a good game today. It's just getting the right pitch in the right situation. That's where my focus is."