Don Mattingly Has Confidence in Phillies Veteran for Playoffs

The 2026 MLB regular season has been a roller coaster ride for the Philadelphia Phillies.

After being as many as 10 games under the .500 mark in April, they managed to claw their way back and are on the cusp of clinching a playoff spot. They are essentially one victory away from being in the National League field because the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, two of the teams they are competing with, are facing off this weekend, so someone has to lose.

Heading down the stretch, and hopefully into the postseason, the Phillies' biggest strength is their starting rotation. Even potentially being without Jesus Luzardo hasn’t taken too much luster off the group because Aaron Nola has found his groove the last few weeks.

After a disastrous start to the campaign, in which he was in the running as the least effective starting pitcher in baseball, he has completely turned his season around since the calendar flipped to July.

Aaron Nola has earned the confidence of Don Mattingly

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch. — Sep 23, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So much so that interim manager Don Mattingly has the utmost confidence in giving the ball to his veteran righty should the need arise in the postseason.

“What he’s been able to do for us, it’s kind of turned that spot in the rotation to (where) you feel like he’s going to give you a good game every time now,” Mattingly said, via Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic (subscription required). “He’s just like Sanchy and Zeus and Wheels — you just feel like you’re getting a good outing every time.”

Through his first 17 starts of the season, Nola had a 6.04 ERA after a brutal outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates when he allowed eight runs, seven earned, in only 4.1 innings of work. He was failing to execute, leading to short outings.

Only four times in those first 17 outings did Nola pitch beyond the fifth inning, not providing the kind of length the team needed. Lacking options to turn to, the team had to hope their veteran would eventually figure it out, and luckily for them, he did.

In 15 starts since that point, Nola has produced a 3.10 ERA across 89.1 innings with 90 strikeouts.

Aaron Nola has been performing at a high level

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. — Sep 23, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On top of that, his efficiency has improved as well. He was working deeper into games, recording more than five innings pitched on 11 occasions. That was a major help, taking pressure off the bullpen to cover so many innings on days that he pitched.

Home runs have remained a bit of an issue, surrendering 17, but he has done a much better job of limiting the damage. For example, he gave up two to the Milwaukee Brewers, but both were solo shots, as self-inflicted wounds aren’t clogging the basepaths.

“I gave up a lot of home runs this year,” Nola said, “but I felt like more solos in the second half rather than the first, (which was) two-, three-run homers a lot. (I was) just not making as quality pitches (then), and pitches were kind of hanging a little bit more than the second half.”

This turnaround feels legitimate, with Nola providing much more than a normal No. 4 pitcher would. He has earned the trust of Mattingly to be the No. 3 starter behind Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler for however long Luzardo is sidelined.

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