PHILADELPHIA — When constructing Wednesday afternoon’s lineup, Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly paired catcher J.T. Realmuto with Aaron Nola. It was not unusual; Realmuto has caught Nola 154 times in the regular season. Few know him better. But it was purposeful on Mattingly’s part, as he tried to get Nola back on track after a tumultuous, six-run start.Nola and Realmuto, long bedrocks for the organization, are facing turmoil. There are people far more important to the operation than two of the franchise’s longest-tenured players. That is just the reality in 2026. But Nola is moving further and further from the days when he resembled a reliable mid-rotation pitcher. Realmuto is playing less often than he has in years and is stuck in a brutal slump.He caught Nola, removed after a mere 77 pitches in five innings during Wednesday’s 9-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, and it was impossible to avoid the idea of becoming mortal.“It’s tough to see anybody struggle, especially somebody like Nola,” Realmuto said. “He works so hard. He’s such a good competitor. He’s gotten a lot of big outs for this team. We wouldn’t be where we’re at without him. So we’re all pulling for him to get through it. We have confidence that he will.”Nola allowed four runs; he at least didn’t walk a batter or surrender a home run. It was the first time since 2019 that Nola was removed at five innings having thrown fewer than 80 pitches. He has reached the sixth inning only once over his last seven starts.“He’s making a lot of really good pitches,” Realmuto said. “And then there’s just times where he’s catching a little too much plate, falling behind in counts. Also, sometimes (he’s) making good pitches and just not getting any luck with it. They had quite a few hits today that weren’t exactly on the barrel and got a lot of traffic out there.”Aaron Nola exited Wednesday’s game after just five innings, and his ERA rose to 6.04 on the season. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)Realmuto went 0-for-4 to drop his OPS to .563. He hit fifth for the first time in a month (and the second time all season), and it was done simply out of necessity. The Phillies had to field a lineup against a lefty starter. They have a dearth of effective right-handed hitters. And after Wednesday’s loss, lefty starters have a 2.24 ERA in 15 starts against the Phillies.Realmuto, who has a career .760 OPS against lefties, should help there. But he did not hit lefties last season (.601 OPS), and he has not hit anyone this season. Since returning from the injured list on May 2, Realmuto is batting .160/.218/.200 in 55 plate appearances. The Phillies re-signed him to a three-year, $45 million deal in the offseason.