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 on to a wild-card spot, their starting rotation will have to continue pitching well.
So far, there has been one clear weak link in the Phillies’ starting five, and surprisingly, it has 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.
The Phillies put Nola on the 15-day injured list with a sprained right ankle Friday. Some skeptics might believe Nola went on the IL so that he wouldn’t have to take his next couple of turns in the rotation while he tries to figure out 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, marking the fifth time this season that Nola has given up four or more runs.
Nola reportedly sprained his ankle last week while working out in Tampa during the Phillies’ three-game series versus the Rays, according to the Associated Press. That raises the question of why he faced the Guardians and Cardinals, rather than going on the IL. Perhaps both Nola and manager Rob Thomson thought he could pitch through the injury, but his performance showed otherwise. 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.”
Yet after the IL move was announced, Nola told reporters that the ankle was indeed causing a problem.
“I did feel like I had to overcompensate a bit,” Nola said, via the AP. “It did get a little bit better last game, but it was putting a little more stress on my back just because I wasn’t able to rotate my foot like I usually do.”
Mick Abel will be called up from Triple-A to start Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In eight starts for Lehigh Valley, Abel has a 2.53 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings. His start will be a one-off appearance, as Taijuan Walker will rejoin the starting rotation 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, and its bullpen ranks 11th in the league with a 4.64 ERA. With 186 runs allowed (tied for seventh), the Phillies have a +16 run differential, good for eighth in the NL.
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