Aaron Nola had his first rehab start pushed back a day by bad weather, but put together a good outing when he got onto the mound Friday night at Polar Park in Worcester to face the Worcester Red Sox as a member of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Nola pitched three innings and allowed a double in the first, a single and a walk in the second, and a single in the third, but did not allow any runners to reach third in the outing. He faced 13 hitters and finished with three hits allowed, a walk, and three strikeouts, needing 47 pitches – 31 for strikes – to complete his outing.

Nola is recovering from a right ankle sprain and a stress fracture in his right rib cage. It is likely he will require at least three more rehab starts, and possibly a fourth. The Phillies do not expect for him to return to the rotation until the last week or two in August or possibly, very early September.

Jhostynxon Garcia doubled against Nola with one out in the first inning, lining an 0-1 pitch to right field. Carcia later doubled against David Robertson, who is working his way into game shape to join the Phillies bullpen, to drive in one run, and then scored on a triple by Nate Eaton that put Worcester up 3-2. Robertson would be given the loss for Lehigh Valley as the Red Sox beat the IronPigs 3-2 in the opener of a doubleheader and then downed them 5-1 in the nightcap.

Reliever Joe Ross also made his first rehab appearance as he recovers from back spasms. Ross followed Nola to the mound and allowed a hit in one inning of work with 10 of the 15 pitches he threw being for strikes. There is no definite timetable for Ross to return to the Phillies bullpen.