The Philadelphia Phillies are 38-29, and now five games behind the New York Mets in the National League East. Aaron Nola has been out with an ankle sprain, but his return has been further delayed.
Nola last pitched on May 14 against the St. Louis Cardinals. However, now the Phillies may be without him until after the All-Star break, according to the Athletic's Matt Gelb.
"An MRI showed a stress reaction in Aaron Nola’s right rib cage, Rob Thomson said. Nola will not throw for at least two weeks," Gelb wrote on X. "A rather significant setback that probably means he doesn’t return until after All-Star break."
Nola had made nine outings this season, but was not off to a great start. He had a 6.16 ERA in 49 2/3 innings of work. Nola has spent 11 seasons with the Phillies and signed a seven-year, $172 million contract with the team before last season. Last year, Nola had a 3.57 ERA in 33 starts. However, he did end up giving up a National League-leading 30 home runs.
The Phillies should be able to make the postseason as a Wild Card team at worst. However, without Nola until late in July, their rotation will need to step up, especially if they want to pass the Mets in the standings.
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Nola has a 3.78 career ERA and has made 277 starts for the Phillies in his career. Losing him is a big blow, but the Phillies' rotation has been good this year. Phillies starters have a 3.70 ERA this season, good for the tenth-best in all of baseball. They will need to be even better if they want to make it through the summer without Nola.
Mick Abel's emergence will help. Outside of his last two starts, Jesús Luzardo has also been great. Zack Wheeler, Christopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez have also been getting the job done. The Phillies have a rotation that gives them a chance in every game, even without Nola.
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