Aaron Nola Fails First Test Post-Andrew Painter Demotion

Philadelphia Phillies veteran starting pitcher Aaron Nola is under pressure to perform.

Jun 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies made a lot of headlines when they decided to send Andrew Painter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

It was a necessary move, especially after another brutal outing against the Miami Marlins. In what ended up being a 12-4 loss, Painter surrendered six earned runs in two innings, torpedoing any chance the team had to compete.

He will now work on his craft in the minor leagues, which will shift the focus to another starting pitcher who is struggling: Aaron Nola. While his struggles have been called out, they are going to be the main focus of Phillies fans moving forward now that Painter is no longer in the Big League rotation.

In his first opportunity to quiet some of the doubters and get things on track, Nola failed. He faced off against the New York Mets, and while he wasn’t the losing pitcher on record, some of the same issues that have plagued him throughout the year continued against their National League East rivals.

Aaron Nola cannot get lefties out against Mets

Jun 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) gets a new baseball after allowing a home run during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Nola pitched five innings, giving up seven hits and one walk that resulted in three runs being scored, two of which were earned. The unearned run, however, came via his own error, which is an oddity in the MLB scoring rules.

While certainly not the worst outing he has had in 2026, it was more of the same in the areas where he struggled. Lefties pounded him, with Juan Soto taking him deep twice, for a solo homer in the top of the first and a solo homer in the third. In the at-bat that Soto didn’t take Nola deep, he drew a walk. 

A.J. Ewing, another left-handed hitter, went 2-for-3 against Nola with an RBI double in the first inning and a single in the fifth.

Juan Soto gives the @Mets an early lead! pic.twitter.com/VZGpJ0t8jg

— MLB (@MLB) June 18, 2026

Carson Benge, Jared Young, Brett Baty and MJ Melendez didn’t find a ton of success against Nola, recording only one hit combined. But the most damage done against him was by left-handed hitters, a troubling trend he needs to figure out how to curtail.

On the bright side, he did strike out six batters, which is tied for the fourth most in a start this season for him. So, it wasn’t a completely lost outing for the veteran righty, with some positive steps being made.

But until he can figure out an offering to use against left-handed batters, he is going to struggle to find success consistently. And without Painter being around currently for people to focus their vitriol on, Nola will become subject No. 1.

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