The Philadelphia Phillies are 2.5 games behind the New York Mets in the National League East going into Friday’s MLB slate. If the Phillies are to stay with the Mets in the division and hang onto a wild-card spot, their starting rotation will have continue pitching well.
Yet there has been one clear weak link in the Phillies’ starting five this season and surprisingly, it’s been one of the team’s most reliable arms. Aaron Nola has slogged through a miserable 2025 thus far, compiling a 6.16 ERA and 1-7 record in nine starts.
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The Phillies put Nola on the 15-day injured list with a sprained right ankle on Friday. Though some skeptics believed that Nola went on the IL so that he wouldn’t have to take his next couple of turns in the rotation and ideally figure out exactly what’s going wrong. (Tanner Houck going on the IL for the Boston Red Sox after giving up 11 runs earlier this week was viewed in much the same way.)
In his last start, Nola gave up a career-high nine runs and 12 hits in a 14-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. That came after he allowed four runs to the Cleveland Guardians in his previous outing, the fifth time this season Nola has given up four or more runs this season.
Nola reportedly sprained his ankle before that start against Cleveland, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. That raises the question of why he faced the Guardians and Cardinals, rather than go on the IL. Perhaps both Nola and manager Rob Thomson thought he could pitch through the injury, but his performance showed otherwise. However, neither of them mentioned the ankle after Wednesday’s start.
“What can go wrong went wrong. My mistakes were hit really well,” Nola told reporters, via The Athletic. “They found holes when I did make a pretty good pitch, I feel like. They didn’t miss too many balls.”
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Mick Abel will be called up from Triple-A to start Sunday’s game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. In eight starts for Lehigh Valley, Abel has a 2.53 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings. However, his start will just be a one-off appearance. Taijuan Walker will rejoin the starting rotation on Monday to face the Colorado Rockies. He had recently been moved to the bullpen despite a 2.62 ERA.
Philadelphia’s starting pitching is third in the NL with a 3.47 ERA, while its bullpen ranks 11th in the league with a 4.64 mark. With 186 runs allowed (tied for seventh), the Phillies have a +16 run differential, good for eighth in the NL.
