All articles tagged with #opener
The Cubs will deploy an opener tonight with Riley Martin starting and Colin Rea following as the bulk pitcher, a strategy aimed at exploiting left-handed Phillies hitters and protecting Rea, a plan the team has used on Rea days before despite limited detail from Counsell.
Randy Johnson predicts that the Gophers will win the opener against Nebraska on Thursday, citing their strong defense and home-field advantage as key factors in their victory.
The San Francisco Giants will use John Brebbia as an opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, with the aim of giving the bulk of their pitches to long man Jakob Junis. Brebbia has looked good this year and pitched as an opener 11 times last year with good results. The Giants host the Cardinals tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT in the second game of their four-game series.
The Boston Red Sox are planning to deploy a six-man pitching rotation and considering using an opener for James Paxton's eventual return. Paxton is set to throw five innings for Triple-A Worcester, but won't start. The Red Sox have previously mentioned that they'd like to stretch Paxton out, but that doesn't necessarily mean he needs to be a starter. The team is trying something new with an opener and may use Paxton in that role in the future.