The Philadelphia Phillies are gearing up for another shot at a World Series championship, and their starting rotation is shaping up to be among the best in Major League Baseball. While the Los Angeles Dodgers are often seen as having the top rotation, the Phillies’ staff—featuring ace Zack Wheeler, seasoned veteran Aaron Nola, left-handers Jesús Luzardo and Ranger Suárez, and Cristopher Sánchez—is close behind.
Nola, who took the mound for his second spring training start on Thursday, turned in an impressive performance despite the Phillies’ 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. After pitching two innings in his first outing, Nola stretched to three frames this time, giving up just two hits and one walk while striking out six batters. Two of those strikeouts came against Tampa Bay’s top prospect, Junior Caminero. Through five innings this spring, Nola has yet to allow a run and has tallied eight strikeouts.
Nola’s knuckle curve was especially dominant against the Rays. He threw the pitch 15 times, prompting nine swings and seven misses—an incredible 78% whiff rate.
Now in his 11th season with the Phillies, the 31-year-old Nola is coming off a solid 2023 season, finishing with a 14-8 record and a 3.57 ERA across 33 starts. He pitched 199.1 innings and struck out 197 batters. This performance came in the first year of a seven-year, $172 million contract he signed after exploring free agency following the 2023 season.
Nola’s dependability was crucial during the Phillies’ run to the NLCS in 2023. He made four postseason starts, recording a 2.35 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 23 innings. His steady performance in both the regular season and playoffs makes him an excellent No. 2 starter for a rotation as stacked as Philadelphia’s, and he’s expected to have another strong season in 2024.
The Phillies are likely to name Wheeler their Opening Day starter for the second year in a row, ending Nola’s streak of six consecutive Opening Day starts that began in 2018. With such a talented rotation, the Phillies are in a strong position to make another deep playoff push.
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