Aaron Nola can’t stop the bleeding, Phillies lose sixth straight, 10 of last 12 games

The losing streak is at six. 10 losses in the last 12 games. The Phillies are 8-14 for the first time since 2015, a season that ended with 99 losses.

Let that one settle in for a second. The last time this franchise was in this position, they lost 99 games and the way this team is playing right now, I’m not sure anyone can tell me with a straight face that the 2026 version is significantly better than what we’re watching suggests.

The Phillies lost 5-1 to the Cubs on Monday night at Wrigley Field. Another flat, lifeless, embarrassing performance from a team with a $300 million payroll and World Series expectations.

FINAL: Cubs 5, Phillies 1

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 21, 2026

The offense scored one run. Again. The Phillies went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Again. They loaded the bases in the second inning and came away with nothing because Rafael Marchan struck out. Again. They put two runners on with two outs in the eighth and Bryson Stott popped out to third. Again.

I’m running out of ways to describe the same game happening over and over and over.

Aaron Nola Was Brilliant for Exactly… One Inning

The night couldn’t have started any better. Nola struck out Nico Hoerner on three pitches, retired Michael Busch on two, and got Alex Bregman on one. Six batters up, six batters down, six total pitches to get through the order in the first. That was as dominant as it gets.

Then the second inning happened and it all fell apart. Twenty-seven pitches. Three hits. Two walks. Four runs. A two-out walk to Pete Crow-Armstrong kept the inning alive and Dansby Swanson made the Phillies pay with a 424-foot three-run bomb to center on a sinker that Nola left right down the middle with a 3-1 count.

That’s the pitch. That’s the at-bat. That’s the ballgame.

One mistake and it was over because everyone in that dugout already knew the offense wasn’t scoring five runs to come back.

Nola gave up two more hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly in the third to make it 5-0. He lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowed 10 baserunners on six hits and four walks, and now has a 5.06 ERA on the season.

The Phillies are 1-4 in his five starts and 0-3 in his last three. Not great for Aaron Nola but we are reaching levels where no starter can avoid what the offense is doing to them right now.

Colin Rea Beat the Phillies for the Second Time in a Week LOL

Colin Rea. Not exactly a household name. Not exactly a guy you circle on the calendar when you’re looking at the upcoming schedule. He pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the Phillies on Monday and he did the same thing to them last week. The same pitcher. Twice in seven days and the Phillies had no answer either time.

Rea kept the lineup off balance with a seven-pitch mix led by a fastball that averaged 93.8 mph and a splitter he threw 17 percent of the time. The Phillies looked lost against him. Again.

I don’t know who needs to hear this but when Colin fucking Rea is carving you up twice in a week, the problem isn’t Colin Rea. The problem is you.

Alec Bohm Is Hitting .133

I don’t even know what to say about this anymore. Alec Bohm went 0-for-3 on Monday to drop to .133 on the season. This is a full-on crisis at the plate and there’s no sign of it getting better.

Bohm walked in the eighth which put two runners on with two outs for Stott.

Bryson Stott popped out to third because that’s what happens when this lineup gets a chance to do something with runners on base. They find the most deflating possible outcome every single time.

Ten Runs in Six Games

The Phillies have scored 10 runs in their last six games. That’s less than two runs per game from a lineup that features Schwarber, Harper, Turner, Bohm, Realmuto, and Garcia. This is one of the most talented offensive rosters in the National League on paper and they are producing at a level that would embarrass a Triple-A team.

Justin Crawford doubled in the fourth for the Phillies’ only run. The rookie is doing more with his at-bats than half the veterans in this lineup right now. That’s not a compliment to Crawford. It’s an indictment of everyone else.

The Phillies are 8-14. Six straight losses. The NL East is still right there because nobody is playing dominant baseball but the Phillies are actively trying to bury themselves before May. The talent is there. The effort is not. The approach is not. The results are not. Something has to change and it has to change immediately because this team is spiraling and nobody in that clubhouse seems to have any idea how to stop it.

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