Charlie Manuel Is Not Worried About Aaron Nola’s Performance

Aaron Nola did not have the best of starts to his season. On Opening Day, he blew a 5-run lead, leading to the Phillies losing to the Rangers. Fans instantly harkened back to his performance in the World Series last year, leading to a day of nervous fans questioning if the Phillies Ace will have another good year or not. Well Nola has at least on person in his camp. Because when Charlie Manuel joined The Anthony Gargano Show this week, he seemed very confident that this was just a blip on the radar for Nola.

And as Charlie mentioned, it was just one inning that gave Nola problems. But it was a really bad inning. After going 3 scoreless, he coughed up 5, which eventually spiraled into another 4 runs given up by the bullpen. What could have led to Nola going off such a steep cliff in the 4th inning after sailing through the first 3? Charlie had some perspective on what he thought the issue was.

The pitch clock could be an adjustment for some pitchers. Especially guys like Nola who LOVE to take their sweet time on the mound. We will see if Nola gets more comfortable with the peace across his next few starts. But it is probably something worth keeping an eye on with him.

Fans will likely have to see much more to have their faith restored in Nola. Especially after his lackluster performances in the NLCS and World Series last year. It is a contract year for Nola. And he apparently wants a massive deal. He is going to need to show a lot more than he did on Opening Day if that is the type of deal he wants.

See what Andrew Salciunas found in The Audio Vault today! Every day Andrew dives deep into the Vault to pull out audio relevant to the day to play for Anthony Gargano. And after we saw the much-anticipated debut of Trea Turner yesterday, Andrew dedicated today's Vault to other great debuts in Philadelphia sports history. The times we couldn't wait to see someone play, and it more than lived up to the hype. He pulled 7 great debuts, plus what Trea Turner did yesterday.

Trea Turner's debut did not go quite as planned sadly. Phillies coughed up a 5-0 lead in the 4th inning. 9 total runs crossed the plate for the Rangers that inning. 5 courtesy of Aaron Nola. The Phillies were never able to claw back and ended up losing on Opening Day. But for Trea Turner it went somewhat well. He was responsible for 1 of the 7 runs the Phillies scored when his triple drove Brandon Marsh in.

Nothing earth-shattering.  But enough to get us excited about what Trea Turner can do in the next 161 games. Phillies may have lost, but Trea at least looked the part in his first game.

But there are 7 great debuts that Andrew found in the Vault to play for us today. The times when guys came in right away, and made a splash.

Eric Lindros had an interesting debut. It started with a trip to the penalty box. But he also showed off his skill as well as his size. He got his first NHL Goal on a Power Play in his first game with the Flyers.

Allen Iverson made himself known right away. In his first ever game he racked up 30 points. The first of many 30-point games for the Sixers guard. And Andrew played the audio of this "Mini-Movie" about his amazing NBA Debut.

Terrell Owen's time in Philly started and ended with a bang. Things fell apart after just one season. But man that one season was magical. And in the first game of the Pre-Season, McNabb, and TO immediately connected. On the first play TO took it 81 yards to the house. If only the duos off the field chemistry were half as good as their on-field connection.

Jim Thome did not waste any time endearing himself to Phillies fans. he hit not one, but two home runs in his first game with the Phillies.

Cliff Lee made quite a statement in his first game with the Phillies. He carried a no-hitter deep into the game, and then went the distance holding the Giants to just 1 run. The start of an amazing run that helped carry them all the way to the World Series.

AJ Brown had a hell of a first game with the Eagles. He and Jalen Hurts were constantly connecting, especially in the first half. He fin wished with 155 yards, helping the Eagles beat the Lions.

Much like Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay was not messing around in his Phillies debut. He gave up just 1 run over 7 innings and fanned 9 Nationals hitters. The start of a great season that saw him win Cy Young, throw a perfect game, and later a no-hitter in the playoffs.