There was a time when a stretch like this would have pointed squarely to one man.
The Phillies needed a stopper, and Aaron Nola would take the ball.
Monday night at Wrigley Field told a different story.
Instead of halting the slide, Nola became part of it.
The Phillies fell to the Chicago Cubs, 5–1, extending their losing streak to six games and dropping them to 8–15 — a mark they last reached in 2015, a season that ended with 99 losses and a full-scale reset. That comparison is no longer dramatic. It’s relevant.
And it’s getting louder.
Nola never recovered from a second inning that unraveled quickly and completely. After a clean first, the inning spiraled: back-to-back hits, a walk to load the bases, and then damage that kept building. A run scored on a double play, but there was no reset. Another walk followed, and then the mistake — a 3-1 sinker left over the plate that Dansby Swanson drove 424 feet to center for a three-run homer.
Just like that, the game tilted.
And right now, games are tilting too easily against the Phillies.
Nola’s line — 4⅓ innings, five runs, four walks — only scratches the surface. The more telling number was 46 strikes out of 88 pitches. He pitched from behind, he couldn’t establish rhythm, and he never dictated the pace. Through five starts, his ERA sits at 5.06 — a reflection of inconsistency from a pitcher who, for years, has been counted on for the opposite.
But this isn’t just about Nola.
It hasn’t been for a while.
The Phillies had their opening early against Colin Rea — bases loaded, a chance to strike first, a chance to change the tone. It ended with a strikeout. Moments later, the Cubs seized control. That sequence — opportunity missed, pressure absorbed — has become the defining rhythm of this stretch.
Because when the chances come, the Phillies aren’t converting them.
Over the last five games, they are 0-for-22 with runners in scoring position.
Not struggling. Not pressing.
Absent.
That’s how you strand 10 runners in a night.
That’s how six straight losses pile up.
That’s how a season begins to drift before it ever finds footing.
Their only run Monday came on a Justin Crawford double in the fourth. Six hits total. No sustained pressure. No breakthrough swing. Even late, with small windows in the eighth and ninth, there was nothing that forced the game back in their direction.
Just more outs.
At 8–15, the Phillies are no longer operating under the protection of “slow start” language. The margin is shrinking. The urgency is building. And the expectation — internally and externally — is shifting toward accountability.
Because this is what prolonged struggle looks like: the rotation isn’t stopping it, the lineup isn’t masking it, and the game keeps speeding up on them in the moments that matter most.
For years, Nola was the answer when things felt unstable.
On Monday, he was part of the question.
And until someone — anyone — provides an answer, this won’t just be a rough stretch.
It will become something much harder to outrun.
Recent Philly | Phillies Baseball News | Philadelphia Baseball Review
- Phillies fall to 8–15 as Nola struggles, offense goes hitless again with RISP in loss to Cubs (April 20)
- Shurtleff dominates, Gale explodes as weekly honors spotlight Penn, Saint Joseph’s (April 20)
- Swarthmore stuns No. 4 Johns Hopkins, throws Centennial race into chaos (April 20)
- Saint Joseph’s takes control, West Chester responds, and the postseason picture tightens across Philly college baseball (April 20)
- Phillies’ early slide exposes a larger problem: This isn’t just a slow start (April 20)
- Reyes delivers a spark, but Phillies’ sloppy third inning extends slide to four straight losses (April 18)
- Phillies booed off field as problems mount in 9-0 loss to Braves (April 17)
- Gwynedd Mercy wins tight one, Widener rallies as postseason picture tightens (April 17)
- West Chester sweeps twin bill, moves into first place in PSAC East (April 17)
- Friday Philly Division I Recap: Saint Joseph's let late lead slip, while Penn falls at Princeton (April 17)
- Friday Preview: Multiple Philly Division-III programs are chasing conference tournament berths, including Swarthmore, Arcadia, and Eastern (April 17)
- Friday Preview: West Chester in tight PSAC East race as postseason picture sharpens, plus notes on Jefferson, Holy Family, and Chestnut Hill (April 17)
- Friday Preview: Saint Joseph’s surging in A-10 play; Penn heads into Ivy road test at Princeton (April 17)
- Phillies struggles bring a familiar reality that accountability is coming (April 16)
- Phillies overmatched by Imanaga, fall to Cubs 11-2 as early home struggles mount (April 16)
- Phillies face new MLB reality as Kevin McGonigle extension signals shift in how teams build (April 15)
- Phillies unravel in sixth inning as Mayza falters in 10-4 loss to Cubs (April 15)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Eastern erupts for 10 unanswered runs, reaches 22 wins in rout of Delaware Valley (April 15)
- It’s early, but a Philly All-Star storyline is already brewing around Kevin McGonigle (April 13)
- Schwarber powers Phillies as offense shows signs of life in win over Cubs (April 13)
- Phillies vs. Cubs Preview: Pitching matchups, Harper’s “bad baseball” warning, and what to watch (April 13)
- Primrose, Coyne power contenders as Saint Joseph’s, Penn hold steady in conference races (April 13)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Spaventa’s walk-off caps Penn rally, completes sweep of Cornell (April 13)
- Phillies come up empty in eighth as offensive, baserunning miscues surface in 4-3 loss (April 12)
- Phillies scratch Andrew Painter with migraine, turn to Zach Pop for start (April 12)
- Zack Wheeler trending upward, but Phillies still waiting on ace-level return as velocity lags (April 12)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Haverford knocks off No. 3 Johns Hopkins, plus other Philly D-III notes from Saturday (April 11)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Holy Family’s offense erupts in sweep of Chestnut Hill (April 11)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Quakers sweep Cornell in key Ivy League battle; Saint Joseph's extends win streak over Dayton (April 11)
- Schwarber, Harper go back-to-back as Phillies rally past Diamondbacks, 4-3 (April 11)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Angel’s walk-off lifts Haverford past Muhlenberg, 4-3 (April 10)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: No. 8 West Chester swept in doubleheader by Shippensburg (April 10)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Saint Josep's continues A-10 conference streak with win over Dayton in extras (April 10)
- Phillies blow early lead, strike out 16 times in 5-4 loss to Diamondbacks (April 10)
- Phillies vs. Diamondbacks preview: Starting pitchers, key stats, lineup, and how to watch (April 10)
- How a local Philly duo behind Dominate the Diamond is tackling youth baseball’s coaching crisis (April 10)
- Giants shut out Phillies again; Bohm, Stott continue to scuffle as offense goes silent (April 9)
- Phillies’ bats go quiet, defensive lapses loom large in 6-0 loss to Giants (April 8)
- Ryan Taylor sets Penn stolen base record as Quakers roll into Liberty Bell Classic final (April 7)
- The three-year window: How baseball loses kids before it ever has a chance to keep them (April 7)
- Harper has a night as Phillies rally late, Bohm’s double caps four-run seventh in win over Giants (April 7)
- Phillies vs. Giants series preview with notes, pitching matchups, and more (April 6)
- Penn duo Pokrovsky, Coyne earn Player of the Week honors from Philadelphia Baseball Review (April 6)
- YOUTH BASEBALL: Proper pre-game mobility is missing piece in arm-care conversation (April 6)
- Turner’s go-ahead double, Luzardo’s 11 Ks lift Phillies past Rockies (April 4)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Eagles rally from five down, complete sweep of Stevenson behind Harris, bullpen (April 4)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Coyne dominates, Collins’ grand slam powers Penn sweep of Columbia (April 4)
- Marsh, Harper, Schwarber go deep as Phillies erupt in rout of Rockies (April 3)
- Edmundo Sosa delivers in the margins as Phillies lean on their most valuable role player (April 3)
- Phillies vs. Rockies series preview: Pitching matchups, early trends, and key storylines (April 3)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: West Chester’s formula is taking hold — while Chestnut Hill delivers a reminder of how quickly things can erupt (April 3)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Saint Joseph’s surging behind complete effort as conference race tightens across Philly (April 3)
- Phillies ride rookies again as Justin Crawford walk-off caps memorable homestand (April 2)
- Phillies News from the Philadelphia Baseball Review
Support the Mission. Fuel the Movement.
You’re not just funding journalism — you’re backing the future of youth baseball in Philly.
👉 Join us on Patreon »
