Phillies Manager Expresses Confidence in Aaron Nola Despite Recent Struggles

The Philadelphia Phillies are attempting to not only lock up another divisional title as the calendar has turned to the final month of the season, but also gear up for what they hope is a much deeper run than last year.

In order to make that happen, not only are the biggest stars on the team going to have to be at their best when October rolls around, but their most dependable arms will have to be just that as well. This year, there has been no greater example of that not being the case than veteran right-hander Aaron Nola.

Entering 2025, Nola had not missed a start in four years and boasted a solid 3.95 ERA and 1.108 WHIP with a record of 46-39 since 2021. Not only has he missed significant action for the first time in any sort of recent memory with ankle and rib issues, but he has struggled when he's actually on the mound.

Wednesday night was just the latest example of frustration from Nola as he put his team in a first inning hole they could not climb out of, allowing five runs in the first frame during a 6-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. After the first, Nola was able to scrape together a strong outing, but the damage was done.

Aaron Nola has already given up 5 runs before getting an out.
His ERA is now 7.17 for the season. This is tough to see pic.twitter.com/RZGkBmoJtY
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) September 4, 2025

Manager Rob Thomson spoke on the 32-year-old after the game and expressed confidence he is going to be able to find his stuff once again and become the reliable hurler Phillies fans have become accustomed to.

"Well, I think he was still getting his feet underneath him the first couple [starts],” Thomson said via Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic (subscription required). “And then the last couple were actually pretty good, aside from the first inning. Kind of the same thing tonight. So, we’ve got to figure out the first inning."

Can Phillies Actually Count on Nola This October?

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang hits ball off Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola. — Sep 3, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (2) watches his double off of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) during the fourth inning of their game at American Family Field. | Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Nola's ERA over 13 starts this year has ballooned to a figure of 6.78 with a 1.507 WHIP, walk numbers that are way up by his standards, and an ugly record of 3-8. Perhaps most notable is his -0.7 bWAR over just 69 innings, numbers which do not inspire confidence.

Since 2022, Nola has made 10 starts in the postseason and has an ERA of 4.02, showing some very impressive stuff with also several ugly starts as well. With over 50 innings of recent playoff experience, this is someone Philadelphia absolutely needs at his best if they want any hope of finally breaking through and getting over the championship hump.

Balancing out an extremely lefty-heavy rotation -- especially after the devastating injury news to Zach Wheeler -- Nola is critical to the plan this October. Whether or not he can figure it out and get things together in time to see that plan out remains to be seen though.

Notably, he still has the confidence of his manager. Perhaps Nola can take that confidence and parlay it into a stronger start next time out, especially in the first inning.