Best: Aaron Nola
After a rocky game on June 1, Aaron Nola rebounded and continued his excellent, Cy Young-caliber season in June, lowering his ERA to 3.13 over 103 2/3 innings. His 16 starts are tied for the most in MLB, and his 0.916 WHIP, 1.215 BB/9, and 8.357 SO/W lead the NL. Among NL pitchers, he ranks second in innings pitched and strikeouts, third in pitcher WAR, and fourth in FIP.
Over his six starts in June, Nola posted a 2.51 ERA and 2.39 FIP, and struck out 43 batters over 43 innings. After struggling to go deep into games in 2021, it’s been encouraging to see him consistently do just that; he went 6+ innings in all six starts, and 7+ in all but his first start of the month.
Worst: Corey Knebel
‘Worst’ is a bit harsh, but Corey Knebel got demoted from the closer role this month in favor of the closer-by-committee stratagem.
Knebel improved in June, lowering his ERA from 5.40 over 11 2/3 innings in May to 3.60 over 10 innings in June. He earned three saves, but he falls under ‘Worst’ category because the Phillies can’t trust him to close.