Jesús Luzardo has been a key part of the Philadelphia Phillies’ success this season. The lefty is off to a perfect 4–0 start with a 2.00 ERA, heading into his next outing as one of the top arms in the rotation. But the same can’t be said for one of his teammates, who’s currently posting one of the worst ERAs.
That teammate is Aaron Nola, who’s going through a brutal stretch. He holds a 1–7 record and currently sits tied for the most losses in MLB, alongside Charlie Morton and Antonio Senzatela.
What’s more concerning than the losses is Nola’s 6.16 ERA, the fourth-worst in the majors. Through just nine starts and 49.2 innings pitched, his performance stands in stark contrast to the rest of the Phillies rotation—where Luzardo, Zack Wheeler, and Cristopher Sánchez are all delivering strong results.
Nola sinking fast
The numbers continue to pile up for Nola, and not in a good way. He’s allowed 59 hits this season—third-most in the majors—just ahead of Eduardo Rodriguez of the Diamondbacks. He’s also tied for sixth in runs allowed with 35, matching Charlie Morton.
The Phillies have felt the sting. While the rest of the rotation is keeping the team competitive, Nola has surrendered 11 home runs—tied for fourth-most in the league—and those long balls have cost the team dearly in games where better command could have made the difference.
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Not all on Nola: Run support also lacking
To be fair, not all of Nola’s struggles fall on his shoulders. Before his latest loss, a rough 14–7 outing against the Cardinals, Nola had managed a few decent starts where he allowed four runs or fewer—but the Phillies’ offense failed to show up at the plate, resulting in narrow defeats where some timely hitting could’ve turned things around.
