Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation for 2022: What we can expect
By Tim Boyle
Phillies number two starter Aaron Nola has something to prove
Not long ago, many felt about Aaron Nola the way we feel about Wheeler right now. Nola finished third in the 2018 Cy Young race after a promising season in 2017. What has alluded him most is consistency. Now the owner of a 67-49 record and 3.68 ERA, Nola’s yearly performance seems to fluctuate too many degrees for the liking of many.
Last year, Nola was 9-9 with a 4.63 ERA. It was hugely disappointing. He hadn’t finished with an ERA this high since his sophomore season in 2016. The team needed him to be in step with Wheeler down the stretch. Instead, Nola folded.
His final six starts resulted in a 2-2 record with a 6.19 ERA we’d like to bury away in our minds. He wasn’t the same pitcher in 2021 that he had been in any season previously. Back in 2016, he was working his way into a bigger role with the club. By 2021, he should have been able to have our hard-earned trust.
This is no longer the case.
Nola is not the number one starter the Phillies needed him to be. Luckily for him, Wheeler has been. Paired together, they make a formidable number one and two combination few teams can compete with when they’re both at their best. We’ve seen Nola do it before. It’s time for him to do it again.