It was one hell of a South Philly debut for Michael Lorenzen. After the Phillies acquired Lorenzen from the Tigers before the trade deadline on Aug. 1, Lorenzen had a solid road performance against Miami with six innings of two-run ball in a win. For his first home game as a member of the Fightins, he went down in franchise history.
Against the Nationals on Wednesday, Lorenzen tossed a no-hitter, the 14th Phillies no-hitter ever and the team's first since Cole Hamels in 2015. Lorenzen struck out five batters and walked four along the way. Here's video of the final out down at Citizens Bank:
That's certainly a great way to endear yourself to the Philadelphia faithful. Between the Trea Turner renaissance, Lorenzen's no-no and an August push that feels completely different than last summer's lethargy, the Phillies are cruising right now. The Phillies, as of this writing, are a half-game up on the Giants for the first Wild Card spot in the National League. With consistency from the rotation desperately needed if the Phils are going to find their way back to the World Series, the early returns on the Lorenzen trade are better than anyone could've imagined.
The rest of the NL should be on red alert.
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