Phillies Starting Rotation Has Thrived Despite Star Pitcher's Tough Season

After a tough week, the Philadelphia Phillies have seen themselves drop back in the National League East standings, but overall it was a great month for the franchise.

Despite a sluggish April, the Phillies looked like the team many thought they could be in May. Philadelphia went on a ridiculous stretch of playing some excellent baseball over the month, but unfortunately didn’t have a great ending.

However, despite a tough week, the Phillies are right in the mix for the top spot in the NL East with the New York Mets. This will likely be a battle to watch in the coming months with both teams looking like contenders.

Even though it hasn’t been a perfect campaign for Philadelphia, they have been very good. One of the top reasons why has been the performance of their starting rotation.

Coming into the year, this was a unit that had the potential to be one of the best in baseball, and so far they are proving that. However, even though the unit has been really good, they have had one of their key players injured and underperforming.

Has Aaron Nola’s Ineffectiveness Hurt the Team?

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Phillies not missing a beat despite one of their best pitchers not performing well and now being injured.

“Aaron Nola hasn't had the goods this season and is presently on the IL for the first time in nearly a decade, but the rest of the rotation has more than picked up his slack, with a cumulative non-Nola ERA of about 2.60,” he wrote.

Before heading to the injured list, it was a terrible start to the year for Nola. So far in 2025, the right-hander has totaled a 1-7 record and a 6.16 ERA. The former All-Star has been a workhorse for Philadelphia throughout his career, but the start to this campaign has been far from ideal.

However, even though he has been very ineffective, the Phillies haven’t missed a beat. The front end of the rotation has been led by Zack Wheeler, who is putting together another NL Cy Young caliber season.

Furthermore, he isn’t the only pitcher who has performed well, with Jesus Luzardo and Christopher Sanchez also doing very well.

The resurgent season from Taijuan Walker has been key for the Phillies, with the right-hander filling in for Ranger Suarez in the rotation to begin the year, and now filling in for the absence of Nola.

While Philadelphia will certainly be a better team if Nola is healthy and pitching right, they haven’t missed a beat despite his struggles this season. For a contender, that is a very encouraging sign and a testament to the strength of the rotation.