Aaron Nola is one of the most durable pitchers in baseball, but how will he fix his early-season struggles?

CHICAGO — Pop quiz: Since 2017, who leads all pitchers in starts (240), innings (1,460⅔), and pitches (23,128)?

Did you guess Aaron Nola?

“He’s kind of a robot,” manager Rob Thomson said Saturday before the Phillies continued their series with the Cubs. “I mean, he’s such a consistent person, consistent preparer.”

Sure. But even robots occasionally malfunction.

» READ MORE: The Phillies are headed to a ‘point of pain’ with their bullpen. Could they have avoided it, and what’s the fix?

Nola will drag an 0-5 record and 6.43 ERA to the mound Sunday night at Wrigley Field. He’s the seventh pitcher in the Phillies’ 143-year history to lose each of his first five starts of a season. It last happened in 2015, with David Buchanan and Alec Asher.

If Nola loses to the Cubs, he will join Whit Wyatt in 1945 and Jack McFetridge in 1903 as the only Phillies pitchers to start 0-6 in six starts.

When it’s Nola, the most durable pitcher in baseball and as reliable as the calendar for nine years running, it’s always risky to overreact. But pitching coach Caleb Cotham would be derelict in his duties if he wasn’t looking into the early-season downturn.

Nola’s average fastball velocity is down to 91.1 mph from 92.5 mph last season, 92.7 mph in 2023, and 92.8 mph in 2022. An early-season dip is typical for the 31-year-old righty, whose heater tends to gain more steam as the weather warms.

But Nola’s command has been uncharacteristically spotty. He walked in a run in back-to-back starts after doing so only once previously. He has an 8.7% walk rate, well above his 6.4% career mark.

To Cotham, the velocity and command are related.

“You shoot a bullet, it’s going to be a little more accurate than shooting a Nerf gun,” Cotham said. “And it’s not necessarily about raw velocity for me. It’s just about the finish at the very end. And that’s what we’ve been focused on, finding our way to that point in the delivery right at ball release where you feel like you can stick it.

» READ MORE: The Phillies after 25 games: April pressure, the bullpen question, and a Brandon Marsh reset

“And 91 or 92 does play a little different, managing the shapes of the fastball so the four-seam isn’t running too much. He’s always going to have a little run, but when it’s too much and it blends with the two-seam [sinker] a little bit, [hitters] get to see the ball coming across the plate one extra time.”

Cotham said Nola is working on making sure his four-seam fastball, in particular, moves toward the right side of the plate, away from his throwing arm. It isn’t an uncommon fix, according to Cotham, and when it’s Nola, the Phillies are confident that the issue will be corrected.

“I think Aaron Nola will be fine,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “When we talked about signing him to a [seven-year, $172 million] contract, I wasn’t really concerned about him dropping a mile per hour as he got older because he commands his pitches. So, I think he’ll snap out of it.”

But Cotham conceded the toll of not missing a regular-season start since 2018 and pitching in the postseason three years in a row.

Cotham said Nola has adjusted his between-starts routine accordingly. Instead of throwing 50-pitch bullpen sessions, he often throws 25-30 pitches while making a point to work on something specific.

“It’s finding spots for him to do a little less with more high intent,” Cotham said. “I think his volume does carry him a long way, so it’s just making sure we touch the intensity in [bullpen sessions]. But he’s as durable as they come, so I’m excited. He definitely will be better.

“I fully expect him to be who he is. It’s been better in the last couple [starts], just the feeling of the outings, the crispness of the pitches. I’m excited for the next couple turns.”

Four days after the Phillies designated him for assignment, seldom-used utilityman Kody Clemens was traded to the Twins for cash considerations.

“It was too bad we couldn’t have given him more of an opportunity here,” Thomson said. “It was just the fit. Because he’s a good player. He’s a big league player.”

Indeed, as a left-handed hitter, Clemens didn’t have a role on the bench for the Phillies, who have five left-handed hitters in the everyday lineup. He got one at-bat through the season’s first 14 games and six in all.

» READ MORE: Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez feels ‘normal’ after throwing; uncertain when he will pitch again

Clemens, 28, doesn’t have minor league options and the Phillies needed a roster spot for righty-hitting utilityman Weston Wilson to come off the injured list.

The Phillies acquired Clemens (with reliever Gregory Soto) from the Tigers in a January 2023 trade for three players, including outfielder Matt Vierling. He batted .220 with nine homers and a .659 OPS in 275 plate appearances.

Clemens figures to get more opportunities with the Twins, who lost rookie infielder Luke Keaschall to a fractured right forearm Friday night.

Center fielder Brandon Marsh (hamstring) is eligible to be reinstated from the injured list Sunday, but his triple-A assignment could linger into next week. “I want him to make sure that his swing’s back and he’s ready to go,” Thomson said. Marsh was hitless in 31 at-bats before the injury. ... Cristopher Sánchez (forearm) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Sunday, after which the Phillies will figure out when he’ll make his next start. ... Ranger Suárez (back) is lined up to start Sunday in triple A, the fourth start in his minor-league assignment. He likely will make one more. ... Nola will be opposed Sunday night by Cubs righty Jameson Taillon (1-1, 4.73 ERA).