Phillies Should Have Confidence in Aaron Nola for Playoffs

The Philadelphia Phillies have received incredible production from Aaron Nola.

Sep 11, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2026 MLB season has been a tale of two halves for Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola.

Through his first 17 starts of the season, there were serious questions about what the team was going to do with their veteran righty. This wasn’t a simple slump he was in; his struggles went back to the 2025 season, with his ERA being among the worst in the sport for a starting pitcher.

Alas, the Phillies didn’t have any other options to turn to. Their No. 5 spot in the rotation was performing just as badly, in some ways even worse than Nola was. The only thing Philadelphia could do was bide their time and hope their veteran figured it out.

While there were a few contentious moments, something began to click for Nola after he got hit hard by the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 29. His ERA rose to a season-high 6.04, but since that point, he has been dominant on the mound, putting himself in position to be an important part of the team’s plans in the playoffs.

Aaron Nola has earned postseason role with Phillies

Sep 6, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

His excellent performance continued on Sept. 17 against the New York Mets. Needing to keep pace with the Chicago Cubs to try and earn the No. 1 Wild Card spot in the National League, and to maintain a lead over the San Diego Padres, Nola led the team to a big win.

The Mets had no answer for Nola, who threw seven shutout innings with very little resistance. He allowed only three hits, all of which were singles, and issued three walks. Only two players even reached second base with Nola in the game, as he wasn’t in any real danger all evening, adding four strikeouts as well.

What made this performance all the more important is that the Phillies could have multiple bullpen games down the stretch. They did it when Jesus Luzardo was scratched from his start against the Atlanta Braves and could do it in his spot for the remainder of the regular season.

Seven shutty for Nols 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nv2Y1kvlEX

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 18, 2026

It is another feather in his cap in what has been a truly remarkable turnaround. In his previous 13 starts before taking the mound against New York, since the disaster against the Pirates, Nola had a 3.18 ERA across 76.1 innings.

His season-long ERA is down to 4.49, shaving more than 1.5 runs off his ERA over his last 14 starts. Losing Luzardo at this point in the season to the injured list is a massive blow, but Nola’s current level of production has to provide some confidence that the team can still make some noise down the stretch and in the postseason.

Sign up for our free newsletter to receive the latest news and updates!