PHILADELPHIA – The Phillies had a chance Sunday to clinch the National League East. It evaporated as the late-season surge of Aaron Nola did.

Nola allowed six runs in six innings Sunday in what became a 10-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Coupled with the Mets’ extra-innings win over Texas – halting the Mets’ skid at six while the Phillies’ winning streak stopped at six – the Phillies’ magic number for the division remains at 1. It had been 13 entering the week and at five before each team started their weekend series.

With an 11-game lead entering Sunday, a 13th division title has become a matter of when, not if. But Nola’s postseason viability is less so. He bageled the Mets over six innings on Monday to kick off this nearly undefeated homestand, then retired the first nine Royals he faced Sunday.

But a two-run homer to Jac Caglianone in the fifth inning and a three-run bomb surrendered to Salvador Perez in the sixth resurfaced some of the maladies behind an ERA that sits at 6.44.

“I’ve just got to refine the one big inning,” Nola said. “I think it’s kind of hit me all year this year. The times I’ve pitched, there’s been that one inning.”

Nola has been the Phillies’ designated clincher pitcher. Sunday marked the eighth time that the longest-tenured Phillie got the ball with a chance to clinch a division race, playoff spot or postseason series. He had gone 4-1 with a 1.62 ERA over 44.1 innings in the first seven chances.

But that historic designation couldn’t overcome the tumult of 2025. In Year 2 of a seven-year, $172 million deal, Nola went on the injured list in May with a 6.16 ERA in his first nine starts. The ankle injury that landed him on the IL became a stress fracture in his rib, and 15 days turned into three months.

He allowed six hits Sunday, walking one and striking out five. Caglianone’s homer tied the game at 2, canceling first-inning solo homers by Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto.

The sixth started with Bobby Witt Jr. missing a homer by a couple of feet in right. He ended up with a triple, then scored on Vinnie Pasquantino’s double to right. Maikel Garcia singled to set up Perez’s third homer in two games.

The performance against the Mets might have signaled a corner turned. Sunday isn’t a step backward, but it’s the inability to take another one forward.

“I feel good,” Nola said. “Body feels good. Just kind of limit that one inning, like I keep saying. But I’m going to keep working and keep having good weeks and keep trying to sharpen things up. But overall, the body feels good, and I’m just going to go out there and keep competing.”

Manager Rob Thomson will soon admit to the task of constructing a postseason rotation, something he’s loath to discuss until the playoffs are sealed. He’ll have to decide between versions of Nola – the stalwart of the past or the straggler of the present; the shutout of the Mets or the struggle vs. Kansas City.

“I kind of lean on the six and the (first) four today, as opposed to the last two today,” Thomson said. “… But I really liked the way he threw the ball the first four or five innings really.”

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Alec Bohm (left shoulder) and Trea Turner (right hamstring) both did infield work Sunday.

Bohm, who hit off a tee and took dry swings Saturday, advanced to soft toss, the team “ramping up the number of swings and the intensity,” Thomson said.

Turner started swinging off the tee Sunday. “I hate to say it, but it looks like he’s ahead of schedule,” Thomson said of Turner, who is targeting being ready for the playoffs.

Both were placed on the injured list Monday. Bohm will travel with the team, the weekend series in Arizona a possibility if all goes well. Turner will stay back to rehab.

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NOTES >> Thomson said that after consulting with doctors, rest is the prescription for Edmundo Sosa’s groin. He exited Friday’s game, but the team is optimistic he can avoid an IL stint. “We plan on giving him until Tuesday and see where he’s at,” Thomson said. “The thought is to play on Tuesday, and if he can’t do that, then we have to do something else.” … The Phillies are off Thursday, their first off day since Sept. 2. But they will stay with the six-man rotation, but “we may fiddle with it a little bit.” The lefties are on tap for a series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, with whom the Phillies are vying for the second seed in the NL and the crucial second bye. Ranger Suarez (12-6, 2.77 ERA) gets the ball Monday night, with Cristopher Sanchez (13-5, 2.57) and Jesus Luzardo (14-6, 4.03) following. The Dodgers have not announced starters. The Phillies have off days this week and next.

Originally Published: September 14, 2025 at 5:54 PM EDT