Nola works through Pregame -Nackenkhrung to deliver 6 goalless NBC Sports Philadelphia

Aaron Nola felt his neck tightened about 45 minutes before the first playing field on Saturday evening.

Manager Rob Thomson, Pitching coach Caleb Cotham and the catcher JT Realmuto brought in full swing, and the Phillies activated Ranger Suarez even a day earlier if it was needed for an emergency start.

There was no emergency because Nola felt good enough to delete. And he was not only the plate, he delivered six goalless Innerings against a diamondback line -up that she can violate with electricity and speed.

“You said we will essentially see what we'll get out of him tonight,” said Catcher JT Realmuto. “We were a little worried, we didn't know how much he would be available, but obviously his neck felt good enough.

“I was in a high alert in the Bullpen and just tried to watch his parking spaces and see if something was moving differently or his things were different, but it was just as hot as the game started, I didn't even think about it again.”

Nola didn't have his best command early, but found a groove after ending the second inn by inducing a 4-6-3 double game. Its speed was for a second start in a row and an average of 92.2, more than 1 miles per hour above his season average. He also had his cutter for a second start in a row and had one of his better curve balls, the space he used most to beat the D-Backs in a 7-2 win.

“It says a lot,” said Realmuto. “He is a competitor. So if there is a way to go out and go to it, he will do it. He showed it this evening.”

Nola is not worried about the neck and expects it to quickly subsume. He felt it a few times during the game, but it is lucky that it is the right side of his neck, not the left. The left side is the direction in which a right -handed jug like Nola hits his head before delivers a pitch out of the track or spies over to the first base.

“Everything was normal. I felt it a bit, but it didn't get worse during the game,” said Nola. “I don't think it will be long -term.

“I had the feeling that a pack had to be packed and would not burst. Only a little closely in a few different movements, but luckily it wasn't my left where I had to look at the plate. If it was on the left, it might be a little different.”

Nola received seven support runs, more than the Phillies had provided him with the whole season. In his last two starts, he reduced his era from 6.43 to 4.61. His command sharpens and he generates more finish for his parking spaces. All of his 18 outs on Saturday evening were a strike or a groundout.

“I feel pretty good, all of my parking spaces feel pretty good at the moment,” said Nola. “Better to bring the hinters better than the first starts and to put them away when I have to.”

His next will be in Cleveland on Friday. The Phillies will start Ranger Suarez on Sunday to end the Diamondback series, and then go to Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo in Tampa. Taijuan Walker was laid in the Bullpen, where it is used as a longman or reliever, which can record one above an inning in the inn.