That outing against the Cardinals wasn’t just bad — it was alarming. Aaron Nola, long viewed as a cornerstone of the Phillies’ rotation, has quickly become a liability in what’s otherwise one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. While Philly’s starters as a whole are performing at an elite level, Nola’s struggles are dragging down his individual reputation — and potentially threatening the balance of the rotation as the season rolls on.
His current 6.16 ERA is jarring, especially given the standards he’s set in the past. A durable, innings-eating righty with a track record of dominance, Nola is now laboring through starts, lacking command, and missing bats far less often. Two strikeouts in 3.2 innings against a middling Cardinals lineup underscores how off his stuff really is right now.
The Phillies’ rotation strength only emphasizes the contrast. Ranger Suárez has emerged as a legitimate ace, Zack Wheeler remains dominant, and the depth options behind them have provided stability. But Nola? He’s searching — and so are the Phillies when it comes to a solution.
What’s especially concerning is the absence of a clear answer. Nola himself said it best: “Terrible.” There was no finger-pointing, no spin — just blunt admission. That level of accountability is admirable, but it won’t fix his mechanics, approach, or velocity concerns.
If this trend continues, Philadelphia may have no choice but to consider skipping a start or exploring a short-term IL stint to recalibrate. Because while one starter can hide in an average rotation, the spotlight is brighter — and harsher — when everyone else around him is excelling.
For a team with World Series aspirations, they can’t afford to have a gaping hole every fifth day. If Nola doesn’t figure it out soon, the Phillies might be forced to make a tough call — no matter his track record or past heroics.
Exactly — in isolation, a veteran like Aaron Nola struggling wouldn’t raise red flags. Every pitcher has slumps, and Nola’s long resume of success (including clutch postseason performances) earns him some patience. But this isn’t a vacuum — it’s a loaded Phillies team built to contend *now*, and every game, every rotation spot, carries weight.
What makes this more frustrating is that Philly has the rare luxury of legitimate alternatives. Zack Wheeler has looked like a Cy Young contender. Jesus Luzardo and Cristopher Sánchez are quietly forming one of the most underrated 2–3 punches in the National League. Ranger Suárez is healthy again. And in the pipeline? Mick Abel and Andrew Painter are waiting — high-upside arms with frontline potential who could be difference-makers down the stretch.
That depth only matters if it’s used. So far, Rob Thomson and the Phillies seem content to bet on Nola figuring it out — even as every indicator, from strikeout rate to hard contact, screams otherwise. It’s a dangerous game to play when you’re trying to secure a division title and set up a postseason rotation.
Yes, Nola’s leash should be longer than most, but not *infinite*. Giving him start after start to work through his issues in the middle of a playoff race isn’t strategy — it’s sentiment. And while loyalty is admirable, winning teams have to make hard calls, even with franchise pillars.
Thomson’s public reluctance to acknowledge the problem only adds fuel to the fire. If Nola’s next few starts mirror what we saw against St. Louis, the Phillies won’t just have a struggling pitcher on their hands — they’ll have a full-blown controversy. And if Dombrowski and company truly believe this is a championship-caliber team, they can’t afford to let blind faith block better options.
Rob Thomson’s faith in Aaron Nola could come back to haunt Phillies
That decision by Rob Thomson is drawing as much scrutiny as Nola’s ugly stat line — and rightfully so. With a 5-1 cushion and a rested bullpen thanks to Jesús Luzardo’s gem in Game 1, there was no excuse to let Nola unravel as completely as he did. The Phillies had a chance to stop the bleeding early, limit the damage, and perhaps still steal a win despite Nola’s shaky start. Instead, they watched a four-run lead vanish in slow motion.
It wasn’t just the runs allowed — it was the *drift*. You could see it happening: hard contact after hard contact, missed spots, visibly shaken confidence, and a Cardinals lineup gaining momentum. By the time Thomson finally emerged from the dugout in the fourth, St. Louis had not only erased the deficit but seized full control.
Yes, it’s the second game of a doubleheader. Yes, you want to give your veteran every opportunity to work through jams. But context matters — and so does urgency. This wasn’t a rookie making his debut or a spot starter filling in. This was a guy with a 6.00+ ERA, clearly out of sync, with the game spiraling fast.
Thomson’s loyalty is admirable, but in this case, it came at the cost of a win. It’s the kind of decision that’s manageable in April or May, but it can have ripple effects if repeated throughout a season where the margin for error in a competitive NL East is razor-thin.
And perhaps most troubling? It suggests that not only are the Phillies still banking on Nola to turn things around — they’re doing so without a realistic backup plan in place mid-game. That’s not just a gamble. It’s negligence. If Philadelphia truly believes it’s a World Series contender, it has to manage like one — even if that means pulling the plug on a trusted vet before things fall apart.
That’s the dilemma in a nutshell — unwavering trust versus mounting evidence. Thomson’s belief in Nola is rooted in years of experience, and there’s no doubt the pitcher has earned some benefit of the doubt. But blind faith only goes so far, especially when the performance on the field continues to trend downward.
Saying “he’s going to find it” might have felt like a safe bet in the past, but in 2025, Nola isn’t just struggling — he’s getting *shelled*. And “being right in the game” isn’t a justification for letting your starter surrender a multi-run lead, especially when there are options in the bullpen and a competitive division race at stake.
What makes this even more frustrating is that Thomson’s public comments offer no accountability, no sense of urgency, and no sign that the team is seriously evaluating the situation. That sends a message — to the fan base and to the clubhouse — that performance doesn’t matter as much as pedigree. It’s a dangerous precedent, and one that could come back to bite a team with championship aspirations.
Nola absolutely deserves support behind the scenes. But on the field, in the thick of a pennant race, he has to be treated like any other struggling player. If he can’t give the team a chance to win, someone else has to. Loyalty is a virtue — but results have to matter more. And right now, the results aren’t just bad. They’re costing the Phillies games they should be winning.
That’s the looming question — and the one that could define the Phillies’ season *and* Rob Thomson’s tenure.
Right now, it’s mid-May, and there’s time to let Nola figure it out. But the danger lies in mistaking “time” for “infinity.” At some point, if the results don’t improve, loyalty becomes a liability. And with a deep rotation, promising prospects, and a bullpen that’s shown flashes of reliability, Thomson has options — legitimate, competitive options — he can turn to.
But will he?
Thomson’s greatest strength — his steadiness, his calm presence, his unwavering belief in his players — can quickly become his downfall if it morphs into rigidity. We saw glimpses of that last postseason, when certain decisions felt more rooted in loyalty than logic. If Nola is still posting a 5+ ERA in late August or September, and Thomson keeps giving him the ball every fifth day without a leash, that’s not just a misstep — it’s malpractice.
And here’s the reality: Philadelphia isn’t in a developmental phase. This team is built to win *now*. It has the horses. It has the lineup. It has the bullpen depth. It even has rotational fallback plans, something many contenders envy. What it cannot afford is managerial hesitation when hard choices have to be made.
If Thomson makes the right calls, he’ll reinforce his credibility and maybe guide this team to a deep October run. But if he continues to ignore warning signs and Nola’s struggles sink the team again when it matters most, the cost won’t just be another early playoff exit. It could be Thomson’s job.
The Phillies don’t need panic — they need clarity and adaptability. If the manager can’t provide that, someone else eventually will.
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