Aaron Nola made his 295th start as a Phillie on Wednesday afternoon, moving him into sole possession of fourth place (he’d previously been tied with Cole Hamels) on the team’s all-time list.

Nola will continue to climb the ladder in the coming weeks as he’s just six behind Chris Short (301) for third place.

With four-plus seasons remaining on his contract, Nola will at least close the gap on franchise leaders Robin Roberts (472) and Steve Carlton (499).

But it’s fair to wonder what those starts will look like in terms of performance.

Nola had the worst season of his career last year – 6.01 ERA in 17 starts — and this one is shaping up to be a struggle, as well.

Two weeks shy of his 33rd birthday, Nola was tagged for four runs over five innings in his latest start as the Phillies lost the finale of a three-game series to the Cincinnati Reds, 9-4, at Citizens Bank Park. Three of the eight hits that Nola gave up were for extra bases. Ten starts into the season, he has a 6.04 ERA. He has given up 10 runs over 8 2/3 innings in his last two.

Monday’s defeat marked the first time the Phillies have lost a series since Don Mattingly took over as manager when the team was 9-19 on April 29.

The Phils, now 25-25, are 16-6 under Mattingly. They have won six of seven series.

While the bulk of the rotation has improved its performance in recent weeks, fueling the team’s rebound, Nola has continued to raise concerns. He’s had just one quality start in his last seven outings. That came May 4 when he pitched six shutout innings in a 1-0 win at Miami. In his other six starts over that span, he has an ERA of 7.52.

Nola spent three months on the injured list last season with rib and ankle injuries. Otherwise, he’s been a year-to-year workhorse for the franchise. From the start of 2017 through 2024, he pitched 1,432 2/3 innings, the most in the majors. It’s fair to wonder if that workload has taken a toll on the right-hander, who is signed through 2030 as part of a seven-year, $172 million contract extension signed in November 2023.

Nola opened Monday’s game with three quick outs, two coming on strikeouts. He took a 1-0 lead into the second inning and allowed three straight hits, two doubles and a single, as the Reds rallied for three runs and never trailed again. Nola gave up two-run scoring hits in the inning on curveballs. His fastball sat at 92 mph for the day.

Meanwhile, the Phillies’ offense, which often struggles against left-handers, had a tough time with Reds lefty Andrew Abbott, who gave up just two runs (one earned) in 5 1/3 innings.

For the day, the Phillies were out-hit, 15-6.

The Phillies are off on Thursday. They host Cleveland for three games beginning Friday night.

(More coming…)