Frustrations are mounting for Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola as the team fell to 23-27 on the season after Thursday's loss to the Atlanta Braves. Nola, who looked to right the ship against the division-rival Braves, did the opposite, serving up three home runs to Atlanta in six innings pitched.

After the game, the Phillies starter gave a pretty blunt assessment of his start, telling reporters that the Braves had “pretty much shelled me tonight”, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

“I’ve just got to execute,” Nola said. “I didn’t execute well tonight. They didn’t miss any balls over the plate. They hit some bad pitches, a couple good ones. I mean, they pretty much shelled me tonight. … It’s just not a great night.”

Nola, who hadn't allowed three round-trippers in a start since 2019, said it just wasn't a “great night.”

The Phillies hurler got Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr to ground out to first before allowing a single to Matt Olson in the first inning.

Third baseman Austin Riley promptly pounced on a cutter that caught too much of the zone and sent it into the left-centerfield seats for a 2-0 lead.

The Phillies ace did strike out seven batters, his second-highest total of the season.

But it was hard to ignore his final line, as it was the fifth time he's surrendered four or more runs in a start in 2023.

Some have speculated that Nola's arm didn't have enough time to recover from heavier workload he carried during the Phillies' run to the World Series last October.

Whether it's a postseason hangover or an April/May slump, the Phillies, who have struggled mightily thus far in 2023, need Nola to turn things around.