Phillies Will Benefit Greatly From Aaron Nola’s Resurgence

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

Phillies Will Benefit Greatly From Aaron Nola’s Resurgence

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Sep 7, 2026 6:00 AM ET

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The Philadelphia Phillies suffered a brutal loss to the Atlanta Braves in the third game of their four-game set at Citizens Bank Park, going down 5-4.

It was another tough day at the office for the bullpen, which faltered down the stretch again. All the relief staff had to do was get six outs, and the Phillies would have been only three games behind the Braves with four more head-to-head matchups this season.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the job done. Alex McFarlane gave up three runs in the top of the eighth to allow the Braves to tie the game, courtesy of a Ronald Acuna Jr. home run. In the top of the ninth, Atlanta scored one run off Jhoan Duran to steal away a victory.

It was a disappointing turn of events, but one major positive takeaway was the performance of Aaron Nola. Philadelphia was in that position to defeat the Braves because of how well he threw the ball.

Aaron Nola has stepped up for the Phillies

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The veteran righty has undergone quite the turnaround this season. After his start on June 29 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, his ERA was 6.04. Since that point, he has looked like a completely different pitcher, helping stabilize the back end of the starting rotation.

In 11 starts since that disastrous outing, entering Sunday against Atlanta, Nola had thrown 63 innings with a 3.43 ERA and 70 strikeouts. He was doing an excellent job locating his repertoire better, issuing only 22 walks.

While the Phillies’ record in games started by Nola dropped to 4-8 over that stretch, his personal numbers only improved with another dominant outing. He shut the Braves down over seven innings, allowing only four hits and one walk, resulting in one earned run, to go along with five strikeouts.

A sac fly from Acuna in the top of the sixth inning was the only damage done. Nola cruised through seven innings, needing 93 pitches, before turning things over to the bullpen, and they went sour.

Aaron Nola

That guy rocks. pic.twitter.com/nHXqnYee1g
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 6, 2026

He has been performing so well; his season-long ERA is down to 4.76, as he has found a groove over the last 2+ months of action. This turnaround has been fantastic for Philadelphia, with the starting rotation becoming even more of a strength for the franchise heading into the final weeks of the season.

This is a massive development for the team down the stretch because of how much the bullpen has struggled. Being able to count on the veteran to give six strong innings with regularity is a major boost.

With Nola throwing the ball this well, he could factor into the team’s mix should they make the playoffs. Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo are locked in as the top three, but if a fourth starter is needed, Nola has likely instilled enough confidence to get the ball, even if it is with a short leash.

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

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