Aaron Nola to Start for Italy in WBC Semifinal
Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola will start for Team Italy against Venezuela on Monday night in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic, according to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "My gut," Italy manager Francisco Cervelli said. "I think Nola's the right person." Cervelli changed his mind after initially naming Colorado Rockies right-hander Michael Lorenzen as the starter for Monday's contest against Venezuela. If Italy gets the job done on Monday, they will face a rematch against Team USA in the WBC finals on Wednesday night in Miami. In his first outing in the WBC, Nola looked to be in midseason form, throwing five shutout innings in a victory over Mexico in pool play. The 32-year-old veteran made one Grapefruit League start with the Phillies before joining Italy, allowing an earned run on two hits while walking none and striking out two in two innings. Nola is just outside RotoBaller's top-50 starting-pitcher rankings after an injury-plagued 2025 campaign in which he had a career-worst 6.01 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 17 starts. If healthy this year, he'll have a pretty safe floor and plenty of bounce-back potential.
Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer - Scott Lauber
Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer - Scott Lauber
Read More News
RADIO



