May 05, 2026

The Phillies needed, and got, an Aaron Nola 'masterclass' to keep their momentum going

Aaron Nola's masterpiece against the Marlins was just what he and the Phillies both needed to stay hot as they continue climbing out of their huge hole.

By Geoff Mosher
PhillyVoice Staff

Sam Navarro/Imagn Images

Aaron Nola looked more like himself – or at least the pre-2025 version of himself – on Monday in a Phillies win against the Marlins.

On Monday evening, it was Aaron Nola's turn.

For the better part of the past few days entering Monday's game in Miami, the Phillies had performed an about-face under new manager Don Mattingly, who was promoted from bench coach last Tuesday after Rob Thomson's abrupt firing.

The Phils were 9-19 when Mattingly took over, but by Monday they had swept the Giants in a three-game set that included walk-off wins in both games of a day-night doubleheader, and then went to Miami and had taken two of their first three against the Marlins.

Defense had improved. Timely hitting had improved. Starting pitching had really come around.

The Phillies were beginning to look like the Phillies.

On Monday, it was Nola's turn to look like the Nola prior to his 2025 injury-marred collapse and his shaky first four weeks of 2026.

It was Nola's chance to make sure the Phillies left South Florida with another winning series and continued momentum as they attempt their steep climb back to .500.

Nola, who had allowed 11 total earned runs and seven walks in his past two starts, and was lifted before the sixth inning both times, delivered in a way the Phillies badly needed.

With Phils bats stifled by Marlins right-hander Jason Junk, Nola took the team on his back and put forth his most dominant outing of the season – scattering five hits in six innings, with no walks and five strikeouts on 94 efficient pitches.

Working his signature knuckle-curve off a fastball that sat around 94 mph, Nola drew plenty of swings and misses.

Aaron Nola, Nasty Knuckle Curves. 😨 pic.twitter.com/CKx8SPdwRO
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 5, 2026

Helped by Garrett Stubbs throwing out two Marlins trying to steal second, Nola didn't allow a base-runner to reach second base until his sixth and final inning, as Bryce Harper's solo homer in the third represented the game's long run.

Marlins centerfield Jacob Marsee reached in the sixth on a one-out single, took second on a grounder and advanced to third on Nola's wild pitch, but Nola collected himself and induced Otto Lopez into an inning-ending groundout. He walked off the mound with a 1-0 lead and his finest outing of the season, perhaps some encouragement that he, like the rest of his team, is digging out of an early malaise.

The Marlins didn't have another batter reach second, as Tanner Banks, José Alavardo and Brad Keller finished out the final three innings to preserve the win.

But it began with Nola looking more like his 2024 version than 2025 or the first five weeks of 2026.

"I hadn't been doing my job much this year," Nola told reporters after, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Today I tried to ... put up as many zeroes as possible, limit baserunners, damage to give them a chance."

"I tried to put up as many zeroes as possible and limit baserunners."

Aaron Nola pitched six scoreless innings and picked up his second win. | @WapnerNewman pic.twitter.com/X6jrGFZ5PC
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 5, 2026

The way Nola at times worked his off-seed arsenal to set up his fastball, keeping Marlins batters confused and guessing, reminded Mattingly of another great pitcher from his era.

"We were talking about [Greg] Maddux and the way he pitched. And that was a masterclass tonight of changing speeds, keeping guys off balance, you know, doing whatever he had to do," Mattingly told the media after, per Phillies Insider Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. "That’s the way you look at Aaron and what he’s capable of doing.”

Don Mattingly, on Aaron Nola’s six scoreless innings on Monday night:

“We were talking about [Greg] Maddux and the way he pitched. And that was a masterclass tonight of changing speeds, keeping guys off balance, you know, doing whatever he had to do. Pitching backwards a little…
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) May 5, 2026

Nola will have the chance to string together consecutive quality starts when he takes the mound Saturday in South Philly against the Colorado Rockies.

For now, the Phillies turn their attention to a three-game set against the A's at Citizens Bank Park, starting tonight with ace left-hander Cris Sanchez on the hill. The A's are 18-16, currently atop the AL West.

Phils starting pitching, which was among the best in the sport last year but among the worst when the Phils fired Thomson last week, has been the biggest boost to the team's turnaround, while the bats are warmer but still inconsistent.

Each of the Phillies' last six starters – not counting the bullpen game against the Giants in Game 2 of a doubleheader – have pitched at least five innings.

Jesús Luzardo made Mattingly a winner in his Phils managerial debut last Tuesday with seven shutout innings and eight strikeouts against the Giants. Luzardo, who was 1-3 with an ERA just a shade under 7.00 prior to that outing, was again dominant in Miami, striking out 10 and scattering eight hits over 6.2 innings on Sunday. He hasn't walked a batter in any of his last two outings.

Including Nola's outing Monday, Phillies starters have allowed just eight earned runs over the past 37.1 innings, an ERA of 1.93 since Thomson's firing, while also averaging just under 11 strikeouts per nine innings and fewer than two walks per nine innings.

If the Phillies are going to get back to .500 before the end of May, starting pitching needs to be the reason.