San Diego Padres Manager Bud Black announced on Saturday that newly signed right hander James Shields will get the start on Opening Day April 6 against the the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium.
It will be the first career start at Dodgers Stadium for Shields, who signed a four-year $75 million dollar contract—biggest in team history—this offseason.
Right handers Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner are expected to take the No. 2 and No. 3 spot in the rotation (not necessarily in that order) and right hander Ian Kennedy is projected to take the No. 4 spot, which would have him start the team’s home opener against the San Francisco Giants on April 9.
Right handers Brandon Morrow and Odrisamer Despaigne are currently battling for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.
Notes
• The Padres traded left hander Alex Torres to the New York Mets on Monday for right handed prospect Cory Mazzoni. The Padres had grown weary of Torres’s command issues as he walked 33 batters in 54 innings last season. Mazzoni is likely headed to Triple-A El Paso where he will pitch in the starting rotation. Upon his acquisition, he became the No. 16 prospect in the Padres minor league system according to MLB.com.
•Outfielders Wil Myers and Matt Kemp each added home runs on Sunday as the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 8-5 in Peoria. Justin Upton also had three hits, while starting pitcher Andrew Cashner allowed one run and struck out six in 6 1/3 innings. Catcher Derek Norris and second baseman Jedd Gyorko also added to the offense with two hits each.
