PHILADELPHIA -- Aaron Nola has struggled like this before.
He allowed seven runs (six earned) in 5 1/3 innings in Wednesday night¡¯s 11-4 loss to the Giants at Citizens Bank Park, giving him a 6.65 ERA after his first four starts this season. It was cold and windy on Wednesday. He could not command his pitches in a four-run first inning, as he loaded the bases and walked in a run.
It was the second consecutive game he has walked in a run.
¡°It drives me crazy,¡± Nola said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s unacceptable. Three times in my career I¡¯ve done that, and two times in the past two games. I¡¯ve just got to get ahead better. Too many free passes, and usually those runners have been scoring. I¡¯m just making it harder on myself in those situations. Eight walks in two games overall. That¡¯s not good. I¡¯ll clean it up.¡±
It wasn¡¯t just Nola. Giants left-hander Robbie Ray walked four batters in the bottom of the first, including two with the bases loaded. It was the first time since the White Sox and Devil Rays played on Aug. 25, 2001, that two teams walked in runs in the first inning.
It was only the fourth time it has happened since 1974.
¡°I¡¯ve just got to get ahead better,¡± Nola said.
This is Nola¡¯s worst four-game stretch since he posted a 6.86 ERA from Sept. 2-20, 2023. It is his worst four-game stretch to start a season since he posted a 7.45 ERA to open 2019.
Nola rebounded in 2019, finishing 12-7 with a 3.87 ERA in 34 starts. He had a 3.45 ERA in his final 29 starts.
The Phillies hope he can do the same this year.
¡°His track record after April is pretty good,¡± Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. ¡°He¡¯s had some good Aprils, too. This guy is a grinder. He threw 35 pitches in the first inning and got into the sixth. He had 81 [pitches] after five. He figures it out. No matter what kind of stuff he¡¯s got, he¡¯s going to grind. He¡¯s going to battle.¡±
Nola¡¯s fastball velocity is down, compared to last season¡¯s average (91.3 mph). His two fastballs have averaged 90.7 mph through Wednesday. But they averaged 90.9 mph last April before gaining velocity as the weather warmed.
So it isn¡¯t like Nola has experienced a troubling drop in velocity, like Taijuan Walker did last year.
It¡¯s more that his pitches have just missed their spots. Willy Adames hit a four-seam fastball down the middle for a one-out double to get things started in the first inning. After Jung Hoo Lee's RBI single, Matt Chapman hit a sinker down the middle for a single to put runners on first and second.
Nola walked Heliot Ramos on a 3-2 sinker to load the bases.
He got ahead 1-2 on Wilmer Flores with the bases loaded and two outs, when he threw a sinker, cutter and sinker out of the zone to walk him and score a run.
¡°Usually it¡¯s been in the stretch,¡± Nola said, trying to identify his struggles. ¡°The windup feels pretty good. I feel like I¡¯m getting ahead a decent amount of time in the windup. I think in the stretch I¡¯m getting 1-0 a lot.¡±
Nola will take the next few days to try to get right. He will try to find better results pitching out of the stretch. He has not been a great March/April pitcher in his career, but he hasn¡¯t been bad, either.
He has a career 3.88 ERA in March/April. Historically, he has struggled more in September/October (4.45 ERA) and June (4.38).
His next start is Monday against the Mets at Citi Field.
¡°My body feels good,¡± Nola said. ¡°Definitely the worst start I¡¯ve ever had by far. All I can do is keep working and keep trying to have good weeks and prepare as best as I can for the next game I pitch. Take all my work into that game and just compete.¡±