Ad Disclosure
It’s Sad to Watch This Version of Aaron Nola
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
Through 17 starts in 2025, Aaron Nola had a 6.01 ERA. Through 17 starts in 2026, Aaron Nola has a 6.04 ERA.
Things are not going well for the 33-year-old veteran. Nola surrendered 8 runs on Monday night, seven of those runs earned, and gave away a 5-0 Phillies lead over the Pirates. Nola has recorded an out in the sixth inning just twice since the beginning of May. He’s not the pitcher he once was. He knows that, the Phillies know that, and Phillies fans know that.
Watching this version of Aaron Nola is sad. If you’ve kept up with the Phillies for years, you know it hasn’t always been like this. Nola was one of the most dominant arms in the sport. Father Time catches up to everyone. Maybe that’s the unfortunate bridge that we’ve crossed with Nola.
The veteran generated 23 swing and misses on Monday night, the highest number he’s seen in years. Ultimately, it didn’t matter. The scoreboard matters most, and Nola knows that. “Honestly, tonight, it doesn’t really matter,” Nola said to reporters postgame. “I gave up too many hits, too many runs. I have to be better than that.”
The state of Aaron Nola is currently a problem for this Phillies team. But the bigger issue is that they don’t have a replacement option. Alan Rangel is already pitching every five days in place of Andrew Painter, who is figuring out his game down in Triple-A. The Phillies do not have a better option than Nola. He and Caleb Cotham have to figure something out.
They’ve tried going more offspeed heavy. It’s caused Nola’s pitch count to rise early because he can’t live in the zone as much as he has in years past. Nola can’t blow fastballs by hitters anymore; it’s just not in his repertoire.
What makes things difficult for Nola and the Phillies is that they know the good Nola is still in there. The issue is getting that Nola consistently. He cruised through the first three innings of last night’s game. The breaking ball was down, he was fanning hitters, and he looked in control.
He lost it in the fourth inning, and it only got worse from there.
“I thought he was going to roll the way he was throwing the ball,” Don Mattingly said postgame.“It seemed sharp. Good breaking ball down in the zone. A lot of swinging misses early in the game.”
The MLB trade deadline is 34 days away. The backend of the Phillies’ rotation is going to have to tread water until that date. They have to get a starter. In an ideal world, Nola puts the pieces back together and Painter is back in the majors sometime late in the summer. But if those two guys have learned anything through 85 games, it’s that this season has been far from the ideal world we’re hoping for.
Luke Arcaini covers the Phillies for Crossing Broad. The wave is the worst thing is sports. Follow him on Twitter @ArcainiLuke