Phillies Should Be Concerned About Extended Struggles of Key Pitcher

Should the Philadelphia Phillies be worried about a struggling starter?

May 12, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) exits the mound during the game against the Boston Red Sox in the eighth inning at Fenway Park. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have been playing very well of late, and while it has been a team effort, some players are still underperforming. 

Following the (9-19) start to the year, the Phillies have been finding their groove as winners in each of their last five series. Philadelphia has been able to build some nice momentum following the firing of their manager, Rob Thomson, and now are seeking to get back to the .500 mark.

The decision to part ways with their manager has created a spark, but a lot of the players who weren’t doing well during the slow start have turned it around. Unfortunately, that hasn’t completely been the case for everyone. 

In the lineup, this is a unit that remains very inconsistent and likely in need of adding an impact bat in the middle of the order. Ideally, a right-handed slugger would provide them with some better balance and help them against left-handed pitching. 

On Friday, the Phillies kicked things off against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and despite the offensive production for the team being great, their veteran starter, Aaron Nola, remained inconsistent to start the year and struggled. 

Nola’s Struggles an Issue

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Coming off the worst year of his career in 2025, the hope was that Nola was going to bounce back for Philadelphia this season and be a significant contributor to the rotation. In 2025, while he did miss some time with injuries, he totaled a (5-10) record and 6.01 ERA in 17 starts. 

For a pitcher of Nola’s caliber, it was a shocking decline in production and he was considered to be someone who would bounce back in 2026. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. With another bad start against the Pirates, Nola has seen his ERA go to 5.91, and it is the third time already this year that he has allowed at least five earned runs in a game. 

The Phillies are paying the veteran right-hander a lot of money to be a solid pitcher in the rotation for them, and they are unfortunately not getting a good return on their investment over the last year and a half. 

Nola continuing to struggle is a major concern for a Phillies team that is relying on their rotation to be great from top to bottom. This is a unit that they have heavily invested in, and the results have been a bit mixed so far. Going forward, Philadelphia will be hoping that Nola can start to find some consistency and success on the mound. Furthermore, if his struggles continue, they might have to find another option.