It's been a season to forget for Philadelphia Phillies right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola.
Nola has struggled to regain the form that made him a National League All-Star in 2018, as he has pitched to a 3-8 record, 6.78 ERA and 1.51 WHIP across 69 innings pitched this year. That inefficiency was especially apparent against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night, as he surrendered five earned runs without recording an out and went on to allow six total over five innings.
"I've just got to stay healthy and keep on working,” Nola said after the game, via MLB.com's Paul Casella. “I’ve got to limit the big innings, no question about it. I've got to stop giving up so many runs, and [start] being on the attack mode and making better pitches.”
Phillies manager remains confident in Nola amid the right-hander's struggles
While Nola's struggles have been a season-long problem, they have bubbled closer to the surface in recent weeks. He spent three months of this year on the injured list with a right ankle sprain; in his four starts since his return, his ERA is a staggering 8.38.
But if there's anyone in the Phillies' clubhouse that continues to have unrelenting faith in Nola, it's manager Rob Thomson.
"Full confidence. Really,” Thomson said. “I always have confidence in him, because he's always prepared and he competes. The bright lights don't affect him.”
That confidence exists because, at some point, the Phillies will need Nola to produce down the stretch to achieve their goal of winning a World Series title.
The club, which sits first in the NL East with an 80-59 record (5.5 games ahead of the second-place New York Mets), has a number of powerful starting arms at its disposal in Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesus Luzardo — even after Cy Young Award candidate Zack Wheeler was forced to miss the rest of the season due to a blood clot. A healthy and effective Nola, though, could put the Phillies over the top and earn them their first championship in 17 years.