The Philadelphia Phillies are running into a major issue with their starting pitching, and it’s happening at the worst possible time.
After falling to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, Philadelphia slipped to 6-6 in its last 12 games. The loss was punctuated by another rough outing from veteran right-hander Aaron Nola.
Nola gave up five runs before recording an out in the first inning and was handed the loss, dropping his season mark to 3-8 while pushing his ERA to 6.78 — by far the highest it’s ever been this deep into a season.
It was his 13th start of the year, and in 11 of them, he’s surrendered at least three runs. In eight of those, it’s been four or more. Still, Phillies manager Rob Thomson continues to voice support for his longtime starter.
“Full confidence. Really,” Thomson told MLB.com’s Paul Casella. “I always have confidence in him because he’s always prepared and competes. The bright lights don’t affect him.”
The numbers don’t exactly back that sentiment. Nola has a career postseason ERA of 4.02, inflated somewhat by his lone appearance last year in which he allowed four runs over five innings.
With only a few weeks left in the regular season, Nola needs to turn things around quickly. Otherwise, Thomson could be facing one of the toughest decisions of his managerial career: stay loyal to his veteran and trust him in October, or make the pragmatic choice to keep him off the postseason roster.
The outcome may hinge on Nola’s next three starts — potentially the most critical stretch of his career.
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