4:05 PM ET Philadelphia Phillies – Aaron Nola @ Texas Rangers – Jacob deGrom
In one of the top two or three matchups of the day, the defending National League champs will send Aaron Nola to the bump to face off against the Texas Rangers and their new ace, Jacob deGrom. This will be Nola’s sixth Opening Day start and deGrom’s fourth. The two aces are no strangers to one another as they have been facing off against each other in the NL East since 2015 when Nola was a rookie.
Nola proved his durability yet again last year, starting 32 regular season games and covering 205 innings. He also started five playoff games last fall and racked up another 25.2 innings. A first-round selection (seventh pick) in the 2014 MLB draft out of LSU, Nola has been with the Phillies organization his entire career. Not that he needs any additional motivation when it comes to pitching well, but he will become a free agent at the end of the 2023 season, so it will be interesting to see how that all plays out.
To say that the Texas Rangers organization looks different than it has in recent years is an understatement. One of the key reasons for the new look is the upgrade in the starting rotation, and specifically the new addition of ace Jacob deGrom. The 2014 Rookie of the Year is also a four-time All-Star, and a two-time Cy Young winner (2018 and 2019). No pitcher in the game looks so effortless and is yet so effective. Boasting a career 2.52 ERA and 0.998 WHIP, deGrom is the race car of MLB pitchers. When he is healthy, he can outpace everyone, the key is to keep him out of the shop and on the track.
4:10 PM ET Toronto Blue Jays – Alek Manoah @ St. Louis Cardinals – Miles Mikolas
Alek Manoah is a big man (6-foot-6, 285 pounds) who has gotten off to a fantastic start in his young career. He just turned 25 earlier this year and is entering his third big league season. This will be his first Opening Day start, which is sure to be a thrill. Last year, Manoah led the Blue Jays to the playoffs, while finishing third place in the AL Cy Young race. He started 31 games, had 196.2 IP, a 16-7 record, a 2.24 ERA, 0.992 WHIP, while striking out 180, and walking 51. This kid is already really good and is on a great team to help showcase his talents.
Miles Mikolas had a strong 2022 campaign, in which he was selected to his second career All-Star game. He has come into his own since joining the Cardinals back in 2018. That is evident in the two-year contract extension that St. Louis signed him to last week, locking up the veteran pitcher for the next three seasons. Mikolas was also a part of the USA team during the World Baseball Classic this spring.