Yes, but no one is making the argument they're out of contention now. The comments by Patch and others above were grumblings over the strategy of giving Nola extra rest against the possibility of faltering (ha) out of the post-AS gates.
I agree that if the team can stay close to the wild card come September things generally seem to bode well, all else considered (and provided nothing else unexpected happens in August). I'd agree they exceeded expectation thus far with some of their key components, but it could also be argued they've showed signs of regression. So, currently one game back of the final wild card spot, with no official timetable for the return of Eflin or Harper (the latter being at least a month away), there's a lot of pressure to stay in the hunt over the next four weeks.
That all said, I'm rather ambivalent to the notion that the whole 'to rest, or not to rest' decision will in itself make a significant difference. On one hand, starting him against the Cubs could have just as easily resulted in a 3-2 loss as it did a 15-2 blowout. And even if they'd pulled out a win, what then (or perhaps more fitting, what in September)? If there was a team to sneak some extra rest in for one your starters, it was the Cubs. Yet on the other hand, if we are to assume Nola's September struggles in 2019/21 were due to a tired arm/fatigue, is three days' extra rest the cure a month's worth of starts?
I think this will be how the Phillies play as a team the rest of the way. Streaks and slumps and one-offs are just part of the game in any given season.
