Dodgers manager Joe Torre Wednesday named Japanese right-hander Hiroki Kuroda to start Opening Day April 6 against the Padres in San Diego. Kuroda will be followed in the rotation by Randy Wolf, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw and "the mystery person," said Torre, referring to the fifth starter to be named. That alignment will alternate between right-handers and left-handers over the first four games. Billingsley will start the Dodgers' home opener April 13 against San Francisco.
Kuroda was 9-10 last year with a 3.73 ERA — not exactly the numbers you picture in a number one starter.
But the Dodgers remain solid in starting slots one through four. The question is who fill slot five, a spot nobody seems to want. And what if one of the starters gets injured?
Dodger fans just need to pray that the big bats in the lineup come through. Every night.
