Five takeaways from Phillies opening series against Braves
By Koy Zdimal
Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins are thriving
It was unsure how the two cornerstone pieces of the franchise would play in 2018. Some thought 2017 was a fluke for the two young stars and that Rhys Hoskins could not maintain his success over a year-long span. So far so good.
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Aaron Nola pitched excellently in his controversial Opening Day start. He went 5.1 innings giving up only three hits on 68 pitches. His only earned run came when Hoby Milner gave up a two-run home run to Freddie Freeman. Nola is expected to take the mound Tuesday against the New York Mets.
Hoskins has been on fire to start as well. He is five-for-10 with two doubles, a home run, and three runs batted in.
He has picked up right where he left off offensively. It is obvious he could still use some work in left field. He will undoubtedly be the driving force of the Phillies offense and has started his .280/35/100 campaign very nicely.