Ian Kennedy Named Opening Day Starter
The Arizona Diamondbacks will start Ian Kennedy on Opening Day. (Image Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced who will be their starting pitcher for Opening Day and the pitchers to follow him in the rotation. The pitcher that the team chose to start for them is Ian Kennedy. Kennedy will be making his 3rd straight start on opening day for the Diamondbacks. This choice was expected given how well Kennedy pitched in second half of last season, and what he did in 2011 season. The second half of the 2012 season saw have a 9-5 win-loss record; he also had an ERA of 3.75. The Diamondbacks will need the 2011 version of Kennedy that won 21 games if they are to compete for a playoff spot in this upcoming season.
The rest of the rotation after Kennedy is Trevor Cahill in the number two slot. Then followed by Cahill is Wade Miley in the 3rd slot in the rotation. The next guy to follow Miley is Brandon McCarthy who is in the 4th slot in the rotation. The 5th pitcher in the rotation will come down either Patrick Corbin, Randall Delgado, or Tyler Skaggs. The Diamondbacks rotation looks solid from top to bottom and will be able compete in the very competitive NL West division. The Diamondbacks also have an ace in the hole that will be coming back around August. The person I am talking about is Daniel Hudson. Hudson had shoulder surgery last May, after her began experiencing discomfort in his shoulder. The only thing that I would change in this starting rotation is that I would have Miley in the 2nd slot. This would allow the Diamondbacks to have a formidable 1-2 punch in Kennedy & Miley. The 3rd slot would be for McCarthy to occupy. The 4th slot is where Cahill should be pitching. The last spot in the rotation I think should go to Patrick Corbin. He pitched great in his Spring Training debut. He did all the things the coaching staff asked of him by locating his fastball well and using his secondary pitches. There is still time for Skaggs & Delgado to impress the coaches, but right now Corbin is frontrunner to earn that 5th spot.