To the surprise of no one, Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler has named Aaron Nola as the team’s Opening Day starter, per Jim Salisbury.
This will be Nola’s second consecutive Opening Day start for the Phillies, who will face the NL East-rival Atlanta Braves on March 28. The Braves have yet to announce their starting pitcher for the game.
Nola comes off a breakout season in which he went 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA, 224 strikeouts, and a 3.01 FIP. He also produced a bWAR of 10.5 and a SO/9 of 9.