'What can go wrong went wrong' during worst start (9 ER) of Nola's career

PHILADELPHIA – For a time, it looked like Aaron Nola had moved past his concerning season-opening struggles.

Those troubles re-emerged on Wednesday night.

Nola suffered the worst start of his 11-year career in a 14-7 loss to the Cardinals in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies split the doubleheader and lost their first series since the Mets swept them at Citi Field from April 21-23. The 14 runs were the most the Phils had allowed in a game since they lost, 14-4, to the Yankees on July 29, 2024.

“I don’t really have another answer for tonight besides: Terrible,” Nola said.

Nola (1-7, 6.16 ERA) allowed a career-high 12 hits, a career-high nine runs and tied a career high with three home runs allowed. It was the first time a Phillies starter had allowed at least 12 hits, nine runs and three home runs in a game since Jon Lieber (13 hits, nine runs, three home runs) on July 31, 2006, during a 15-2 loss to the Marlins.

They are the only two Phillies to do that in the past 75 years.

“I mean, what can go wrong went wrong,” Nola said.

Nola opened the season 0-5 with a 6.43 ERA in five starts, but he had a 3.33 ERA in his next four. He calmed everybody’s nerves with impressive performances in back-to-back starts against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 27 and the Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park on May 3.

Nola held two of baseball’s best offenses to just one run in 13 innings.

He allowed four runs in five innings in his last start on Friday in Cleveland. It wasn’t great, of course, but it did not foreshadow what would happen on Wednesday against St. Louis.

Nola allowed a run in the first inning, but the Phillies scored five in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-1 lead. But then Nola allowed five runs in the third and three runs in the fourth to hand St. Louis a 9-6 lead.

Nola allowed six two-strike hits, one short of his career high. He has allowed 27 this season, second in the Major Leagues to Atlanta’s Chris Sale (29).

“My put-away stuff wasn’t good tonight, obviously,” Nola said. “I’ve got to really work on that. … They didn’t miss any balls over the plate tonight. I didn’t do my job well at all. The guys gave me good run support. They hit the ball really well. I didn’t get it done.”

Lars Nootbaar hit an elevated 90.3 mph fastball to right-center field for a solo homer to start the third. Later in the inning, Alec Burleson pulled a 90.8 mph fastball on the outer half of the plate for a two-run homer to right-center.

Masyn Winn hit a 93 mph fastball for a homer to left-center in the fourth.

Nola started the fourth despite getting hit hard in the third. Phillies manager Rob Thomson explained why he didn’t go to the bullpen early.

“You always think that he’s going to find it,” Thomson said. “We’re right in the game. So, you know, he goes back out in the fourth, and you’re trying to get him through those right-handers, and two infield hits [to Nolan Arenado and Iván Herrera]. And you bring [Tanner Banks] in on the lefty [Burleson], and he puts a good at-bat on and adds on.

"You can look at that a lot of different ways, I think. But that was the thought behind it. I was trying to get [Nola] through those right-handers.”

Nola’s next start will come next week against the Rockies in Denver. Colorado is an MLB-worst 7-36 this season, but Coors Field is a hitter-friendly park.

“I think he’ll find it,” Thomson said. “You’ve got trust that he’s going to find it. He’s going to work at it, that’s for sure. He’s going to figure it out.”