Phillies Opening Day: Five observations from a disappointing loss
By John Town

Aaron Nola has start wasted
Aaron Nola got to make the first Opening Day start of his career, and he did not disappoint. In 5.1 innings, he allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out three. The lone run charged to him came after he exited the game (more on that later).
It took Nola just 68 pitches to get through those 5.1 innings. His pitches continued to show good movement and he induced plenty of ground balls. If this start is any indication of how the rest of the season will be for him, it’ll be a great year for Nola.
Unfortunately, Nola had his start cut short by Kapler. After allowing a double to Ender Inciarte, Kapler decided to pull Nola in favor of Hoby Milner to face Freddie Freeman. Kapler said after the game that he felt confident in Milner and he wants Nola to pitch a lot of innings this year. Considering how the rest of the game went, this decision will certainly come back to haunt Kapler.