Dodgers Spring Training: Erik Bedard To Start Cactus League Opener
In each of the last two seasons, Clayton Kershaw has taken the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first game of Spring Training and suffered a loss.
With the Dodgers looking to win their first Spring Training opener since 2012, it won’t be with Kershaw starting. Instead, manager Don Mattingly is electing to go with another left-hander in Erik Bedard, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Bedard starts first Spring game Wednesday.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) February 28, 2015
Kershaw’s first start of spring will come the following day when the Dodgers again face the White Sox, though as the “road team” at Camelback Ranch:
Kershaw starts Thursday.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) February 28, 2015
According to Eric Stephen of True Blue LA, pitchers will be brought along slowly in their first starts:
First time through the rotation, starters will likely go 2 innings
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) February 28, 2015
As Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago reported earlier in the week, Jose Quintana is scheduled to start the Cactus League opener for the Chicago White Sox; Quintana figures to be the White Sox’s No. 3 starter in the regular season.
Whereas the White Sox elect to hand the ball to a pitcher clearly slated to make the roster out of Spring Training, the same isn’t true for the Dodgers; Bedard was signed to a Minor-League deal in January with a non-roster invitation to big league camp.
The left-hander has been part of eight Spring Trainings, with all but one of the camps coming with an American League team. Last season was Bedard’s first with the Tampa Bay Rays and he appeared in 17 games, including 15 starts.
However, his last appearance was out of the bullpen on July 12. He finished the year with 64 strikeouts and 29 walks in 75.2 innings pitched. During his tenure in Tampa Bay, Bedard was released twice.
As for his Spring Training track record, the 35 year old (36 on March 5) is a career 11-11 with a 4.83 ERA in 41 games (36 starts).
[divide]Vin Scully Addresses The Crowd At Dodgers FanFest
I like the idea of getting our #6 starter, who also is the oldest of the group a little head start. He may not seem valuable but he will be good option to have at triple A or swingman coming out of pen when one of the big 5 go down.