Philly Leader

Aaron Nola, a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, is facing early challenges this season with a 6.65 ERA after his first four starts. In a recent game against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park, Nola allowed seven runs, six of them earned, in 5 1/3 innings. The pitcher identified his difficulties as coming from a lack of command over his pitches early in the game, leading to multiple walks in a single inning, a situation he described as "unacceptable."

“It drives me crazy,” Nola remarked about his performance, having walked in a run in two consecutive games. Nola acknowledged the problem, stating, "I’ll clean it up."

The struggles weren't isolated to Nola. In the same game, Giants' left-hander Robbie Ray also walked multiple batters with loaded bases. The game marked the first time since 2001 that two teams walked in runs in the first inning, an occurrence noted for its rarity.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson remains optimistic about Nola's potential to rebound this season, citing Nola's past performance improvements: “His track record after April is pretty good.”

Nola's pitching velocity has slightly decreased this season, but the primary issue seems to be his pitch accuracy rather than a significant decrease in speed. Amidst these challenges, Nola is looking forward to his next start against the Mets, expressing a determination to improve: “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.”

The Phillies and Nola are hopeful for a turnaround similar to past seasons, where he managed to adjust after early struggles and deliver a strong performance through much of the season.