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Aaron Nola struggled in his return to the Phillies on Sunday.

The good vibes about the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation are officially gone.

A day after Zack Wheeler’s scary right-shoulder blood clot was revealed Saturday, Aaron Nola was rocked and did not get out of the third inning in his return to the mound against the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Nola, who had been sidelined since mid-May with rib and ankle injuries, surrendered six runs, all earned, on seven hits but struck out four in just 2 1/3 innings. After throwing 84 pitches in his final rehab start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Nola threw just 53 in his first start since May 14.

The Phillies rallied to win 11-9, giving Nola a no decision. But in 10 starts, Nola is 1-6 with a 6.92 ERA this season.

What Did The Phillies Say About Aaron Nola’s Return?

The Wheeler news, along with Philadelphia’s 2-0 loss, set a tense mood in the Phillies clubhouse for the morning-start series finale in the nation’s capital.

Yet, the Phillies offense changed that early, and it appeared Nola would be able to cruise against the light-hitting Nats on Sunday.

Philadelphia staked Nola to a run before he even took the mound then blew the game open with a five-run second inning, capped by Alec Bohm’s three-run blast that gave Philadelphia a 6-0 lead and knocked Washington starter Mitchell Parker from the game.

Nola even was sharp in his first two innings, striking out four of his first eight batters and allowing just one hit. But after striking out Brady House to lead off the third, Nola didn’t get another out, surrendering four singles, two doubles and a walk that pulled Washington even at 6.

“Just had trouble stopping it today, getting a swing and miss or getting them to hit a ball to one of our guys,” Nola said. “They capitalized on some pitches, a couple of them that I yanked and a few of them I didn’t get to the spot I wanted.”

Nola got just seven swings and misses, and his WHIP ballooned to 1.60 on the season.

“It was just a lot of plate on a lot of pitches, basically, is what it is,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “It was really a strange game all the way around.”

Perhaps the only good news about Nola’s outing was he left it still healthy.

“Body felt good,” Nola said. “Rib and ankle felt good, arm felt really good.”

Did The Phillies Win?

Though Wheeler’s blood clot, and Nola’s awful start, cast a huge cloud over the Phillies’ starting staff, the silver lining is the Phillies escaped D.C. with a split in the four-game series.

That’s because Nola wasn’t the only player to return for the Phillies on Sunday, and Bohm’s return after he spent a month on the IL with a fractured rib keyed Philadelphia’s high-scoring victory.

Aside from his early-inning blast, Bohm had a single and scored three runs, including the go-ahead run that put Philadelphia up for good on Weston Wilson’s go-ahead single in the fourth inning.

“It feels really good to contribute and help the team win a game,” Bohm said. “I’m just happy to be back and happy to be healthy.”

Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens