May 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Phillies Starter Has Bounced Back Following Struggles Last Year

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Apr 9, 2026 8:00 PM ET

It has been a bit of a mediocre start to the season for the Philadelphia Phillies, but the performance of one player has been encouraging to see.

With a few series in the books for the Phillies so far, they sit with a 6-6 record. Their recent West Coast trip ended with some mixed results, with a series win against the Colorado Rockies, but losing two out of three games to the San Francisco Giants.

While it is still very early in the year, there have been some positives and negatives as expected for the team. Philadelphia is going to have a ton of expectations to succeed this year, with the bar being set very high.

This has been one of the best teams in the National League the last couple of years but have ultimately fallen short of their goals. Now, while this is a veteran group for the most part, the window of opportunity to win is still there.

Like in recent years, one of the greatest strengths for the team is the starting rotation. Fortunately, after a tough year for one of their key pitchers in 2025, he has looked like his old self so far this season.

Aaron Nola Has Bounced Back

Even though the rotation for Philadelphia was great last year, one of their expected key contributors really struggled. Injuries certainly played a part in his struggles, but it was a terrible campaign for the right-hander.

In 2025, Nola totaled a 5-10 record and 6.10 ERA. It was the worst season by far for the talented right-hander, and the Phillies were hoping that a clean slate this year would result in him bouncing back. So far, that has been the case, and Nola looks like the reliable veteran that Philadelphia has seen in the past.

So far this season, he has totaled a 1-1 record, 3.63 ERA, and 19 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched. There was no shortage of blow-up performances last year, but he has been a lot more consistent so far this season.

Against the Giants, Nola picked up his first loss of the campaign, but he pitched six innings and allowed three runs in a solid performance. Unfortunately, the woes of the offense cost him in that game, as the Phillies were shut out.

While the sample size might be small this year, the results so far have been encouraging to see for Nola. Hopefully, he continues to prove that last year's struggles were just a fluke and not because of injuries.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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