Dodgers Manager Joe Torre delays naming opening-day starter

Dodgers Manager Joe Torre delayed announcing the team's starting pitcher for opening day until after Tuesday.

Torre had said he planned to name the pitcher Saturday. But after a Dodgers split squad beat the Texas Rangers, 5-4, in a spring-training game in Surprise, Ariz., he said the announcement wouldn't come until after Tuesday, when the Dodgers have a day off.

"I'm looking at some time after the off day" to make the announcement, Torre said. "We're not going to do it before that. Honey and I are still talking about it," he said, referring to pitching coach Rick Honeycutt.

The four candidates in the Dodgers' starting rotation are left-hander Clayton Kershaw and right-handers Hiroki Kuroda, Chad Billingsley and Vicente Padilla.

The Dodgers' season opens April 5 when they play the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The Dodgers' home opener is April 13 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

-- Jim Peltz in Surprise, Ariz.

Comments

[Dodger Dugout]

Clayton Kershaw, the most exciting Dodgers pitcher on the roster, should not be the Opening Day starter on April 5th in Pittsburgh. Despite Kershaw's super 2009 campaign, that honor should go to Chad Billingsley. Yes, I'm aware of Chad's struggles in the second half of last season. No, I'm not crazy.

Ultimately, it matters not who starts game 1 or 2 of a 162-game season. We're talking about honor and prestige here. Think about what that honor means to a young pitcher. Chad Billingsley has yet to make an Opening Day start in his career and Joe Torre should not skip this opportunity to give Billingsley such a significant vote of confidence.

On the other hand, it's hard to image that the decision to start Bills would damage Kershaw's psyche. His time will come and keep in mind that the No. 2 guy will be scheduled to start the Home Opener on April 13th at Dodger Stadium - an honor in it's own right, even if by default.

Look, it's easy to make too much of all of this as, like I said, it's two games of a marathon season. The Dodgers should win both games against the Pirates regardless who starts. So why not give the assignment to the guy who needs it the most?

Chad Billingsley should be the Opening Day starter.

[artieboy]

The opening day starter is an honor but not much more that that. It's only one game.
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Bills struggled with his pitch count...again.
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Pdilla made one mistake against SD which was enough to lose the game.
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Kuroda was roughed up by SD
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Kershaw exciting, has already pitched in the post season, but is still learning.
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Unless the pitching staff gets its act together, this whole process of picking the opening day starter is merely academic.