PHILADELPHIA — Aaron Nola’s 2025 campaign has not gone the way that he or the Phillies ever could have envisioned.
Now, thanks to a surprising move by manager Rob Thomson, the Phillies’ season rests largely on Nola’s right arm.
Nola will have the chance to erase a lot of the anguish from an otherwise forgettable season when he takes the mound to start a must-win Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. It will be Nola’s 11th career postseason start — but his first in a potential elimination game.
“I’m going to go out and compete as best as I can, and try to put the guys in a good position to win a baseball game,” Nola said following the Phillies’ 4-3 loss in Game 2 on Monday night. “Obviously, we’re 0-2 right now, so going into L.A., we’ve obviously got to get a win and just take it inning by inning and pitch by pitch.”
The veteran right-hander got the nod over Ranger Suárez — a decision that may come as a surprise to many.
Though Nola is the longest-tenured Phillie and certainly has a proven track record, he went just 5-10 with a 6.01 ERA in 17 starts this season. He missed three months from mid-May to mid-August due to a sprained right ankle and a stress fracture in one of his ribs.
Suárez has had an up-and-down season in his own right, but ultimately finished with a 3.20 ERA in 26 starts. He also has a 1.43 career ERA over 37 2/3 postseason innings.
Of course, Nola starting doesn’t mean the Phillies won’t also use Suárez.
“It will be Aaron Nola, with Ranger behind him,” Thomson said when asked about his Game 3 starter.
Including the postseason, all 295 of Nola’s big league appearances have come as a starter. Suárez, meanwhile, has pitched in just about every role imaginable during his eight seasons with the Phillies. He’s made plenty of relief appearances, including two in the postseason — and even locked down the NL pennant-clinching save in the 2022 NLCS.
So, with Thomson likely planning to use both Nola and Suárez in Game 3, the order in which he deploys them came down to that experience.
“Nola has never pitched out of the ‘pen. How long he goes, I don’t know,” Thomson said. “But I trust him.”
And therein lies perhaps the biggest question: Just how long will Nola go?
Thomson will undoubtedly have a quick hook with the Phillies’ season on the line, but even if Nola is pitching well, it’s possible he’s asked only to get through the Dodgers’ lineup one time.
Despite his struggles this season, it’s worth noting that Nola has typically navigated the opposing lineup pretty well the first time through. Opponents hit just .252 with a .693 OPS against Nola when facing him for the first time. That OPS jumped to .797 the second time through — and 1.005 the third time.
That said, Nola entered the postseason on a high note after saving arguably his best start of the year for his final start of the regular season. He pitched a season-high eight innings against the Twins on Sept. 26, all while racking up a season-high nine strikeouts and allowing just one run off two hits.
“I’ve been feeling pretty good lately,” Nola said. “My body is all healthy, and the ball feels like it’s coming out pretty well, so I want to keep that going, and hopefully, have a good start.”
The Phillies certainly need it if they want to avoid their second straight NLDS exit.
“You’ve got to take it one game at a time,” Nola said. “You can’t get three wins in Game 3, right? So we’ve got to take it one game at a time.”
