The three leading contenders for this season's National League Cy Young Award all pitched on Tuesday night, with aces Aaron Nola, Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom taking the hill for their teams, Nola and Scherzer in a head-to-head showdown. Which one did the most to help his case and stake a claim for the pitching award?
Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies
The line: No decision, 7 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts.
The outing: Nola threw six scoreless innings before being tagged for two runs (one earned) in the seventh. The Phillies' bullpen allowed three runs in the ninth to lose the game and cost Nola the win, which would have been his 16th and tied Scherzer for most in NL.
The impact: It was Nola's sixth straight start of at least six innings and fewer than three earned runs. He has a 3-0 record with a 1.07 ERA since July 30.
Next chance to impress: Sunday at 1:35 ET against the Cubs. He allowed three earned runs in 6 IP in his only start against the Cubs this season on June 6.
Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
The line: No decision, 5 innings pitched, 4 hits, 3 earned runs, 5 strikeouts, 2 home runs.
The outing: This was the second time in 28 starts when Scherzer didn't record an out in the sixth inning and the first time since April 4, in his second start of his season.
The impact: Scherzer's ERA climbed from 2.13 to 2.22 after Tuesday's start.
Next chance to impress: Monday at 1:05 p.m. ET versus the Cardinals. Scherzer is 2-4 with a 2.70 ERA in eight career starts against St. Louis.
The line: No decision, 8 innings pitched, 8 hits allowed, 1 earned run, 10 strikeouts.
The outing: DeGrom had an average fastball velocity of 97.8 mph during the start, per Statcast. That was the fastest of his career.
The impact: His ERA improved to an MLB-best 1.68, but there are still 53 pitchers with more wins than deGrom's eight so far this season.
Next chance to impress: Monday at 8:10 p.m. ET in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Dating back to last season, deGrom has allowed 6 earned runs in 11 innings in his past two starts against the Dodgers.