Aaron Nola falters again, and this time it was the St. Louis Cardinals who capitalized on his decline. In a one-sided 14-7 defeat following a Game 1 win in the Phillies-Cardinals doubleheader, Philadelphia watched their veteran righty get shelled for a career-high 12 hits and three home runs in just 3.2 innings. It was a concerning outing—not just for Nola, but for the entire Phillies starting rotation.
The Phillies got off to a fast start, jumping out to a 5–1 lead behind a J.T. Realmuto home run and clutch hitting against Cardinals starter Sonny Gray. But Nola couldn’t maintain the advantage. The Cardinals erupted in the third and fourth innings, tagging him with a barrage of extra-base hits and long balls that completely shifted the momentum.
A post by Matt Gelb of The Athletic on X (formerly Twitter) summed up the pounding Nola endured:
“Aaron Nola allowed a career-high 12 hits in 3 1/2 innings tonight. Many of them were hit hard. Three were homers.”
Philadelphia’s rotation had been reliable early in the season, but Nola’s growing inconsistency is becoming increasingly problematic. After starting May with two strong performances, he’s now surrendered 13 runs in just 8.2 innings over his last two appearances. His command has faltered, and fastball placement continues to be a persistent issue.
The loss drops the Phillies to 25-18, now three games behind the division-leading Mets in the NL East, though they maintain a four-game cushion over the Braves. Still, with the rotation already stretched thin, Nola’s recent downturn couldn’t come at a worse time.
While Ranger Suárez and Taijuan Walker have provided encouraging signs, Nola’s slump is putting additional strain on a pitching staff that the team is counting on to fuel a playoff push. With four days until his next scheduled start, the Phillies will need Nola to reset and find his form to keep pace in the division race.