PHILADELPHIA — If Zack Wheeler’s performance yesterday was vintage, Aaron Nola’s outing today was a signature performance.
The right-hander turned back the clock Sunday afternoon. He looked like the man who received Cy Young Award votes in four different seasons, as opposed to the man who held an ERA over 6.00 halfway into this season on the heels of a career-worst year in 2025.
Nola did more than enough to win the game. His offense gave him late insurance. It somehow was not enough.
The Phillies bullpen faltered, surrendering four runs on six hits across two innings. The one-man wrecking crew that is Ronald Acuña Jr. accounted for four of the Braves’ five runs, including a game-tying three-run homer in the top of the eighth.
“Aaron gets us where we need to go, seven solid innings,” manager Don Mattingly said postgame. “Then we get the two runs there with the solo home runs, and you feel good. It’s one of those you feel like it’s a tough [loss].”
The Phillies would lose 5-4, but the relief trouble cannot take away what was a remarkable afternoon for the veteran starter.
Aaron Nola’s admirable afternoon
Nola was extremely efficient Sunday afternoon. He threw just 93 pitches over his seven innings, 20 of which were thrown to one man over two plate appearances.
The key was being effective early, which led to efficient innings and individual battles. Nola threw 16 first-pitch strikes to the 25 men he faced. 11 of those 25 PA were finished in three pitches or fewer – 10 of those resulting in outs.
Nola only did that one other time in 2026 and twice in 2025. It was reminiscent of the man fans were used to seeing a few seasons ago.
Mattingly noted before the game that he felt this was a “season of adjustments” for Nola. He has adjusted how he attacks, relying more on that knuckle curve, and adjusted how fans feel when they think about him along the way.
https://metrophiladelphia.com/stories/vintage-zack-wheeler-performance-phillies-win-even-series-braves,154232
Sunday was Nola’s seventh straight start going at least five innings with three or fewer runs allowed, a stretch that justifies the Phillies front office’s assertion that they trusted the arms in-house enough to not acquire an additional starting pitcher at the trade deadline.
Since the start of July, Nola has a 3.21 ERA, nearly half the number it was over the first three months (6.04).
Aaron Nola through June (17 starts):
⚾️ 6.04 ERA, 4 Quality Starts, 2 outings allowing 1 or 0 runs, averaging 5 IP/start
Aaron Nola since July 1 (12 starts):
⚾️ 3.21 ERA, 6 Quality Starts, 5 outings allowing 1 or 0 runs, averaging 6 IP/start#Phillies
— Kyle Fisher (@KyleFisher45) September 6, 2026
Mattingly once again downplayed this game as being more important than any other in their tough September schedule.
“I look at it like, it’s a game we want to win, right?” the Phillies manager said. “We got to keep marching down the road. We got a tough schedule all the way through, so every game that you win is another notch. That’s good for us. If you lose a game, then it’s going the other way. So you’re trying to win every game, no matter who it is…in our minds, I think it’s win every day.”
Whether a matchup against the team you are chasing is more or less important than another is not for me to decide. What cannot be denied is that to make noise in October, they cannot lose games like the one they lost today. Not to anyone.
Keywords
Phillies,
Braves,
Aaron Nola,
Don Mattingly,
Phillies bullpen,
NL East,
MLB