The Philadelphia Phillies have played well overall in September so far. With an 11-3 record, they've clinched the NL East for a second consecutive year.
However, a concern for Philadelphia with less than two weeks until their last game of the regular season is the inconsistency of starting pitcher Aaron Nola. After having arguably his best start of 2025 on Sept. 8 against the New York Mets, the right-hander turned in another erratic start in his latest appearance versus the Kansas City Royals on Sept. 14.
Phillies fans should be concerned about how reliable Nola can be in the postseason. Before he went on the injured list in May, the 32-year-old had a 1-7 record and a 6.16 ERA in nine starts. He struggled at the start of the year, which has been common for him. However, his season has not gotten better once he returned in August from the injured list.
How concerned should Phillies be about Aaron Nola with the postseason near?
Nola pitched well through the first four innings against the Royals, surrendering no runs, one hit and compiling five strikeouts. However, Kansas City tied the contest in the fifth on a two-run home run by Jac Caglianone.
Aaron Nola's 2Ks in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/Rf7Jqfyst3
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 14, 2025
The outing got worse for the Phillies starter as the Royals tallied four more runs in the sixth inning on four consecutive hits including Salvador Perez’s three-run homer.
After the game, Phillies manager Rob Thomson spoke about his confidence in Nola and what he would like to see from the pitcher moving forward, per MLB.com's Paul Casella.
”You've got to take into account his track record, no doubt about it," Thomson said, per Casella. "But I do want to see him throw the ball consistently like he did in the first four innings today."
Once again, Nola had trouble not letting the game get out of hand due to one bad inning. This time it was in the sixth. Some of his previous starts this year have forced the Phillies to try to come back early after Nola's first inning troubles.
Nola admitted what has been challenging for him this season following the 11-3 loss to the Royals, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Noah Levick.
"Just the one big inning,” Nola said, per Levick. “It’s kind of hit me all year this year.”
Between missing three months due to injuries, Phillies hitters not always delivering run support for him and his erratic performances, 2025 has not been a good year for Nola.
With Zack Wheeler out for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs, the Phillies do not have a reliable right-hander in their starting rotation currently. Nola is expected to be that pitcher but he has been off his game throughout the season. This has left fans doubting if he will fare any better come October.