After his second rehab start with the IronPigs last Wednesday, Aaron Nola talked about how good he felt and that he was optimistic that his next rehab start would be his last if he could get up to around 90 pitches and show command of his arsenal. That start came Tuesday night in Buffalo and with familiar faces Alec Bohm (also on a rehab assignment) at third base and Garrett Stubbs behind the plate, Nola dazzled the Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays) to give hope that not only can Nola return to the rotation but that he will be better than the guy we saw earlier this season.

Nola allowed four hits and no walks over 5.2 innings, giving up two earned runs. The right-hander threw 84 pitches, 61 of which were strikes, and struck out 11 batters.

After allowing just two hits and striking out the side three times in the first five innings, Nola ran into trouble in the sixth when he gave up back-to-back doubles to start the inning. He rebounded from there and got a fly ball to right that moved a runner to third and then picked up his final strikeout of the night before exiting. Reliever Brett de Geus came on and allowed the first four hitters he faced to reach base, bringing in Nola’s runner from third and then giving up three more runs in the inning.

In three rehab starts with Lehigh Valley, Nola has pitched 12.1 innings with 11 hits, three walks, and 17 strikeouts, resulting in three earned runs for an ERA of 2.19. The 84 pitches he threw Tuesday were the most in the three games as he progressed nicely in each start.

It’s possible that Nola could be activated from the IL and start Sunday in Washington. They could also opt to give him an extra day of rest and have him start at home Monday night against the Seattle Mariners, who have been playing well of late, winning eight in a row and moving into a tie atop the AL West with Houston with a 67-53 record.

Bohm went 0-for-4 in the game and is now 0-for-8 in his first two rehab games with Lehigh Valley. The game plan was to have Bohm play in back-to-back games at third base and then as a DH and see how he responds to the added work load. After that the Phillies will make a decision on whether to activate him then or give him more time to be sure he is fully healed from the cracked rib he suffered just before the all-star break when he was hit by a pitch in San Diego.

The IronPigs lost the game 6-0 with Justin Crawford getting the only hit of the night for Lehigh Valley.