The Philadelphia Phillies are now leaning heavily on top star, far more than they expected. His return to the rotation coincided with Zack Wheeler landing on the injured list due to a blood clot near his right shoulder, leaving his timeline uncertain. With Wheeler sidelined, a rotation that had been one of baseball’s best suddenly needs every starter to raise their game.
Nola and Wheeler have long shared the role of co-aces during past postseason pushes, but injuries and inconsistency have plagued Nola this season. Entering Sunday, he carried a 6.16 ERA over nine starts. Against the Nationals, things unraveled quickly. After breezing through the first two innings, Nola gave up six earned runs in the third while recording only one out, ending his day early.
“They scattered a couple hits, and it just kind of unraveled,” Nola told The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes. He opened the inning with a strikeout, but it was followed by a walk and six hits.
The Phillies pulled out an 11-9 win, but Nola’s struggles overshadowed the result. “Body felt good,” Nola said to MLB.com’s Byron Kerr. “Rib and ankle felt good, arm felt really good. I just had trouble stopping it today… I didn’t get to the spot I needed to, and they capitalized.”
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Nola’s next scheduled outing is expected to come next weekend at Citizens Bank Park, once again facing the Nationals.