NEW YORK — The season is less than a month old but Monday night was emblematic of how it’s been for Aaron Nola in 2025.
Loud contact early. Lots of baserunners. High-wire acts. A settling-in period.
And then more frustration.
Nola would have had a six-inning, two-run quality start but manager Rob Thomson sent him out for the seventh at 89 pitches because the Phillies trailed by two runs and had a short bullpen.
Nola’s fastball velocity, already down, was even lower in that seventh inning to the 88-89 mph range.
“I think it’s probably an early-season thing,” he said. “Feel like I do start out with lower velocity when it’s cold and then it starts to tick up when it gets a little bit hotter. Hope that’s the case but just got to keep competing out there. Commanding the ball is the most important thing for me.”
Nola’s four-seam fastball and sinker are both down 2 mph this season, to 91 and 90, respectively. It’s not the first or second time this has happened. Just last April, Nola’s velocity was in this same range before averaging 92.8 mph after May 1.
He and the Phillies are hoping that’s the case again. But what if it isn’t? What if the 198 innings he’s averaged over the last six non-shortened seasons are beginning to catch up?
“Gotta keep competing, man,” Nola said. “I’ve gotta throw a lot of innings, try to limit the runs and compete. I know I haven’t done that so far this year but I’ve gotta command all my other pitches and go out and try to win the game. I can’t control the results but I can control the walks and getting ahead of guys.
“I’m not getting the results. When I do get a groundball, it’s going through holes. My fastball’s not where I need it to be right now and I hope the velocity starts to kick up here soon. Curveball, changeup felt pretty good tonight. But when the ball’s over the plate, they’re not missing it right now.”
Nola missed with a low-and-in curveball to leadoff man Francisco Lindor in the bottom of the first. It was tattooed 376 feet to give the Mets an early lead.
Nola missed right down the middle on a 2-0 count to Jesse Winker to begin the second. It was hit even harder for a solo homer.
He put five men on base over the next four innings but stranded them all before two early baserunners ended his night in the seventh. Both scored when Jose Ruiz gave up a three-run shot to Lindor. The Phillies scored four runs in the ninth inning but lost, 5-4.
“It’s frustrating for sure,” Nola said. “I’m 0-5 with a six-and-a-half (ERA), it’s pretty brutal. But I’m gonna keep working and trying to have good weeks leading up to my next start, preparing as best as I can and trying to stay healthy. Keep believing that things will turn around soon.”
Thomson says he isn’t worried about Nola because he’s seen him pitch through diminished velocity in the past. It’s not as if Nola’s arsenal is based around throwing 96. But he needs more life on the heater. Two of his many weapons are the four-seam fastball just above the zone and the two-seamer that freezes lefties. But both can be easier to time and lay off when they’re 89-91 as opposed to 92-94.
“It’s just a little bit more jump at the end, I think that’s the biggest thing for me, especially with my four-seam,” Nola said. “I need that late jump. I’m not gonna go out and sit 94-95, that’s just never been me, so I need the late jump before it gets to the plate. But command is always number one for me.”
It doesn’t help that the Phillies have scored five runs for Nola in his five starts. Aside from feeling like his location must be perfect, he’s had no room for error.
He’ll be back in the lab this week, working on command and trying to find that “little bit more jump” that can make a world of difference. He grunted more than ever before on Monday night trying to add a little oomph to the fastball.
Nola’s next start will be Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. It would be fortuitous if the wind is blowing in.
“I’m not worried about him,” Trea Turner said. “He’s been such a good pitcher for such a long time. People are gonna go through their ups and downs. It’s been a tough start but not worried about him.”
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