Needing one more pitch to complete six scoreless innings, Aaron Nola went for a right-on-right changeup, a pitch he’s barely used over the past three years. He had thrown 14 right-on-right changeups this season before that one to Otto Lopez, and it was down and in. Lopez fouled it off. For Nola to succeed in Year 12, he does not have to reinvent himself. He won’t.

But it’s the small things, like that unexpected down-and-in changeup that sets up the trademark curveball, much farther down and away. Lopez pounded it into the ground for a routine out. Nola did not walk a batter and did not surrender an extra-base hit in a 1-0 Phillies win over the Miami Marlins. Miami entered the day with three hitters (Lopez included) among the National League’s top 20 in OPS, and Nola held them to 1-for-7 with a single.

It all feels better for these Phillies, winners in six of their last seven, because the rotation is settled again.

The interim manager always looks better when his starters allow eight runs in 37 innings (not counting a game during this stretch in which the Phillies used a bullpen game). This team was always built on its rotation. It helps not to face the relentless Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves lineups for 13 straight games.

Everyone can take a breath.

The Phillies did that with Nola, giving him a few days of extra rest as they worked on adjustments between starts. They will lean harder on Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Zack Wheeler. But Nola, while less important to the whole thing, has to be more effective.

Maybe the changeup is a start. Nola threw it at a higher rate on Monday than in any start this season. It was among Nola’s highest changeup usage for any start in the past three seasons. He needs different lanes to have success against hitters at this stage in his career. It won’t come through a new pitch. But there are new tricks.

Even with this run by the rotation, Phillies starters have a 4.96 ERA. That ranks 26th in the majors. There is plenty of room for growth.

As the outfield turns

The Phillies fielded a starting outfield over the weekend that featured Garrett Stubbs in left, Adolis García in center and Felix Reyes in right. It was not by choice; both of the team’s center fielders (Justin Crawford and Brandon Marsh) were unavailable with minor injuries. Again, it spoke to the precarious construction of this unit — a recurring problem.

The personnel are different in 2026. The results, so far, have been similar. Last season, Phillies outfielders ranked 19th in the majors with a .710 OPS. This season, through 34 games, Phillies outfielders ranked 20th with a .689 OPS.

The Phillies have not had an outfield rank in the top half of the majors in OPS since 2023.

The current unit has its bright spots. Brandon Marsh has a .919 OPS against righties and is fine in left field. Justin Crawford has struggled as a defender in center, but he’s worked at getting the ball off the ground more and has mostly held his own at the plate. García is walking at his highest rate in three seasons, and his current hard-hit rate would be a career best.

Still, it feels very much like a group in which the sum is not greater than the parts. Part of it is a complete lack of a solution for who platoons with Marsh in left field. (Righty hitters who have played left field for the Phillies this season are hitting .103/.103/.205 in 39 at-bats.) The other is the fact that the Phillies have permitted a .208 batting average on fly balls and popups to the outfield.

The next closest team is Houston, with a .153 batting average on those balls.

It’s an absurd situation. Some of the bloops could have been caught. Others are just bad luck. A little is just inexplicable. This is where all of the fly balls or popups that have landed as hits in play against the Phillies:

Incredibly, the Phillies have allowed almost as many singles on fly balls or popups to center field as they did all of last season. There were eight of them in the first 34 games and 10 in 162 last year.

Those fly-ball singles to center in 2026 have an average distance of 214 feet, compared to an average of 243 feet in 2025. It doesn’t matter how much farther in a center fielder plays, he’s not getting to a ball like this:

Phillies center fielders, on average, have played the 12th deepest in MLB this season. Their average starting position is 324 feet from home plate; that is 4 feet deeper than last season but in line with 2024 (324 feet) and 2023 (323 feet). Teams tend to play their outfielders deeper now to guard against extra-base hits. Maybe it’s an adjustment the Phillies make, but Crawford hasn’t been perfect when going back on balls either.

This and that

Felix Reyes is 2-for-28 (.143) with the Phillies. (Rich Storry / Getty Images)

• The makeup of the outfield will be a regular debate, probably through the trade deadline once again. Reyes, who takes a prodigious batting practice, homered in his first big-league at-bat but has only one extra-base hit in 27 at-bats since. He’s yet to draw a walk.

The alternatives are not obvious. Steward Berroa, a 27-year-old outfielder acquired in a small trade last month, has hit .261/.342/.464 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley while playing center field. Bryan De La Cruz, a veteran outfielder, is 2 for his last 29 and has not had an extra-base hit since April 21. Otto Kemp is still searching for his stroke.

The club had hoped Gabriel Rincones Jr. (knee inflammation) would be playing in minor-league games before April ended. That did not happen. Even then, Rincones bats left-handed.

• That the Phillies opted for Stubbs over Dylan Moore as the 26th man is not surprising; Stubbs is a third catcher in label only. (The Phillies did pair him with Nola on Monday.) He’s devoted more focus to reps in left field and third base. He can play second base if needed. Moore might have had more defensive versatility than Stubbs and batted right-handed, but they grade similarly as runners. That is mostly what Stubbs is: a pinch runner or someone who is playing in a lopsided game.

At least with Stubbs around, the Phillies can use J.T. Realmuto as a pinch hitter in games Rafael Marchán starts.

They had debated taking Stubbs over Moore at the end of spring training. In the end, they paid Moore $1.45 million for 15 plate appearances. He did not have a hit and posted a 5.40 ERA as a pitcher in two mop-up outings.

• The front office made bullpen depth a priority over the winter, and the early returns have been solid. Chase Shugart came from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a small January trade, and he’s gotten outs. Kyle Backhus, another trade acquisition, had emerged as the second lefty before elbow inflammation sidelined him. Tim Mayza, signed to a minor-league deal, has done fine. So have Zach Pop and Nolan Hoffman in lower-leverage spots.

Depth is nice; it’s better to cover the middle innings with guys who throw strikes and appear competent. But it doesn’t totally mitigate the issues from Jonathan Bowlan, José Alvarado and Tanner Banks — three relievers who were expected to pitch in bigger spots. Banks and Alvarado were good on Monday.

The Phillies will have to make room in the bullpen on Tuesday, when Jhoan Duran is expected to be activated, according to MLB.com.