WASHINGTON — Aaron Nola was cruising on Sunday afternoon, until he wasn’t.
The right-hander was excellent for three frames before hitting a fourth-inning wall that derailed his day and led the Phillies to their first loss of the 2025 season. Nola allowed five runs on two homers, including a three-run blast by Phillie killer Josh Bell in the bottom of the fourth, in 5 1/3 innings as Philadelphia fell to the Nationals, 5-1, in the finale of a three-game opening series at Nationals Park.
Nola, the 11th-year Phillies starter, allowed just one hit through three innings in his first outing of the year and swiftly retired the first two batters he faced in the fourth.