The Padres have named Edinson Volquez the Opening Day starter against the Dodgers this Thursday. Volquez, who came over in part of the Mat Latos deal, has impressed the coaching staff, and his numbers back that up. Volquez went 2-0 with a 3.48 ERA, 20.2 IP, 13 K and an impressive .179 BAA. Also, Volquez has three career starts (albeit a small sample size) at PETCO Park, going 1-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 19.1 innings pitched.
Tim Stauffer appeared to be the favorite as the opening day starter, but he had a bad spring. His mechanics were off, and now he has a mild strained tricep, which the team will further evaluate. According to Dan Hayes of the North County Times, Stauffer said it’s more of a “dead-arm situation” than any one particular area.
Stauffer went 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA, 22.2 IP, while opponents batted .368 off the right-hander. Again, the Padres will evaluate his arm, but also attempt to hone his mechanics. In spring, the staff talked about trying to get Stauffer to tweak his arm angle, and work more on top of the ball. If Stauffer does land on the DL, Anthony Bass would be the obvious choice. Bass has had a fantastic spring going 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA, 14 IP, only 1 BB, with 8 K and opponents hitting only .191 off the promising pitcher.
