Aaron Nola, struggling offense lowlights for Phillies in loss to Cubs

The Phillies’ losing streak reached six games on Monday with a 5-1 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Aaron Nola’s second-inning struggles and the lineup’s continued slump were the lowlights for Rob Thomson’s 8-14 club.

Nola’s final ledger included 4 1/3 innings, six hits and season-highs in runs (five) and walks (four). He allowed four of those runs and issued two of those walks in the second inning. He threw 88 pitches on the night, landing just 46 for strikes. Twenty-seven of those pitches came in the second.

After he set the Cubs down in order in the first inning, Nola allowed back-to-back singles to Ian Happ and Moisés Ballesteros to start the bottom of the second. The right-hander then issued a six-pitch walk to Cubs’ six-hole hitter Michael Conforto to load the bases. The Cubs scored their first run of the inning on a 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Miguel Amaya.

Nola could not settle in to end the frame after inducing the double play. He walked Pete Crow-Armstrong on five pitches, and then hung a 3-1 sinker to Dansby Swanson, who sent the pitch 424 feet over the center-field wall for a three-run homer to make it 4-0. A flyout by Nico Hoerner one batter later ended the inning.

Nola, who allowed another run in the third on a sacrifice fly by Conforto, owns a 5.06 ERA through five starts.

On offense, the Phillies continued to struggle against right-hander Colin Rea, who pitched six strong innings against them last Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Rea pitched 6 2/3 innings this time around, allowing one run on six hits. The lone run the righty allowed came on a Justin Crawford double in the top of the fourth.

The struggles against Rea were also a continuation of the Phillies’ season-long issues on offense, as they entered Monday 26th in the majors in runs per game (3.57). Their recent issues have been even worse.

The Phillies, who stranded 10 baserunners Monday, have now scored 10 runs over their last six games, scoring two runs or less in five straight.