Manager Gabe Kapler announced that Nola will be the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Phillies, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
The news hardly comes as a surprise, but it's nonetheless good to see official confirmation from Kapler. Nola had a 3.54 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 168 innings (27 starts) with 184 strikeouts in 2017. The 24-year-old's strikeout rate and quality 3.27 FIP leaves a solid indication for potential improvement as the Phillies' top starter this season.