Aaron Nola Appears Slated to Start Opening Day Against Rangers
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The Philadelphia Phillies will likely turn towards Aaron Nola once again as their MLB Opening Day starter for the sixth year in a row. This comes after Zack Wheeler threw a session on the backfield on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays minor leaguers.
According to The Athletic, Wheeler is in line for the start against the Texas Rangers on April 1, or the second game of the season.
That means Nola will likely take the mound for Opening Day against Jacob deGrom.
It's a tantalizing thought of two of the best aces in the game will open the season with a duel.
It is worth noting that Philadelphia has not yet officially announced Nola as their Opening Day starter. But all signs are pointing towards him being tabbed the starter to open the season.
Last year, Nola pitched 205.0 innings and compiled a 3.25 ERA with a minuscule 0.961 WHIP.
He also helped lead his team to the postseason for the first time in over a decade.
deGrom on the other hand is coming back from an injury which caused him to miss the majority of the 2022 MLB season. When healthy, he is one of the most dominant pitchers in the game.
He has looked good so far this spring, one of which was an MLB start. He has allowed a run and has routinely hit 100 mph on his fastball with his offspeed pitches looking to be in midseason form.
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