Phillies 4, Yankees 0: Aaron Nola ‘dominant’ after learning he’ll start opening day

Aaron Nola learned Monday afternoon that he would start for the Phillies on opening day. Then he looked the part of an opening day starter Monday night in Tampa.

Nola cruised through six scoreless innings of a 4-0 win over the Yankees, allowing just one hit and striking out nine. He carved up a lineup of Yankees regulars and retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced.

“That was as good as I’ve seen him,” said manager Joe Girardi, who told Nola before the game that he will start his fourth-straight opener. “He was dominant. He was in total control the whole night.”

Nola had excellent command of his fastball, which allowed him to work in his curveball and change-up. He generated 16 swings-and-misses and used all three of his top pitches for strikes. He threw 84 pitches in his longest outing of spring, appearing to build up the stamina for the regular season.

“I feel pretty good,” Nola said. “That was kind of a jump from my outings this spring. I feel good. Body feels good and healthy. Arm feels solid.”

Nola will become the first Phillies pitcher since Steve Carlton to start four-straight season openers when he faces the Braves on April 1 at Citizens Bank Park.

“It’s cool to be named that again and start the year off with the first game,” Nola said. “My thoughts are always that obviously I’m honored to get the nod, but there’s a lot of starts after that. I just hope to give the team a good chance to win on opening day.”

Brandon Kintzler and Tony Watson both continued to make their cases for roster spots before they are permitted to exercise their opt-out clauses on Wednesday. Kintzler retired two of the three batters he faced in the seventh, throwing just eight pitches. Girardi lifted Kintzler so the left-handed Watson could face Jay Bruce, who flew out to deep center on the first pitch.

The Phillies will pitch both veteran relievers again on Tuesday so they can see them pitch on consecutive days before they opt-out. They can inform the Phillies on Wednesday that they are opting out of their minor-league deals. The Phillies then have 48 hours to add them to the roster.

» READ MORE: Phillies’ bullpen picture coming into focus as decisions loom

The centerfield competition continues to be a slog. Odúbel Herrera went 0 for 3 with a strikeout and Roman Quinn went 1 for 3 with two strikeouts. Adam Haseley, out with a groin injury, could play later this week. It’s not out of the question that he could make a late run at the starting job.

Rhys Hoskins reached base four times, going 3 for 3 with a walk, a double, and an RBI single. Didi Gregorius went 2 for 4 with a two-run homer against his former team.

Johan Rojas made a terrific leaping catch near the wall to finish the seventh inning. Rojas, a 20-year-old outfielder, tracked down the fly ball from Bruce, leaped at the warning track, and crashed into the wall after making the catch. Rojas is at spring training as part of the team’s minicamp and he’s the Phillies’ eighth-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

Zack Wheeler will start Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. against the Blue Jays in Clearwater. The game will not be broadcasted.