Philadelphia Phillies Ace Tries To End Worst Start of His Career Against Giants

After getting off to the worst start of his career, the Philadelphia Phillies ace is looking to end that during his start against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

Apr 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) before action against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies got back in the winner's circle on Tuesday.

With Jesus Luzardo on the mound, the Phillies were able to tag future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander for four runs, showing some life on offense after they have struggled at the plate in their last six contests.

The four-game set is now tied at one win apiece, meaning Aaron Nola is getting handed the ball on Wednesday with an opportunity to set Philadelphia up for their first series victory out of their last three.

A good outing from the ace is going to be important.

Not only has he struggled out of the gate with a 5.51 ERA, but he's also lost the first three starts of the season, which is the first time that has happened in his 11-year MLB career.

Both parties are trying to figure out what has been going wrong for the right-hander.

Nola's struggles can't necessarily be pointed to as being bad luck since the underlying metrics don't suggest that is the case.

FanGraphs has his expected ERA at 4.27, a whole run lower than his actual ERA, but also a figure that would be the highest of his career. His FIP is 5.23 and his HR/9 rate is 2.20, both numbers that don't align with an ace-caliber pitcher.

It's still early, and the alarm bells aren't going off just yet, but a strong performance on Wednesday against a top five run-producing offense would quell some of the concerns.

Nola is expected to battle with Robbie Ray, a pitcher who has the complete opposite profile to start.

Coming off his recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former AL Cy Young winner has been lights out with a 3-0 record and 2.93 ERA.

What would help Nola is if his offense can provide some run support.

In his three starts, the Phillies have scored a total of two runs, including being shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals during his last outing when he allowed just two runs in five innings pitched.

But to get in the win column, Nola has to deliver a gem.

He's already had the worst start to his career this season with three consecutive losses.

He'll look to end that on Wednesday with first pitch set for 6:45 p.m. ET.