[Moriarty9]

Tampa Bay ready for opener
Pedro will take mound in season's first game
April 1, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Major League Baseball season officially begins tonight in Toronto, but the Tampa Bay Devil Rays still have a couple days before they play their first game of the year.

The front office today announced the club's opening day roster and manager Christian O'Neal made public the team's pitching rotation and lineup to start the season.

Fresh off his second straight Cy Young season, Pedro Martinez will take the mound for the first game of the year — that much everyone knew months ago. The rest of the rotation, however, has been a question mark as to who would make it in and who would pitch when.

Kevin Millwood (10-13, 4.74 ERA) will take the ball for the second game while left-hander Mark Mulder (8-18, 5.73 ERA with Texas last year) starts the year as the number three starter after an impressive spring training. Roy Halladay looks to break through as the club's fourth starter (3-6, 4.66 ERA in 12 games with Tampa Bay last year), while Bruce Chen's struggles this spring dropped him down to the fifth spot in the rotation.

Livan Hernandez will open the year in the bullpen as the team's long reliever and spot starter.

"Livan has great talent but he's really had a rough time staying healthy, plus he's coming off an injury now where he missed the first half of spring training," O'Neal said. "He'll start the year in the 'pen but we expect him to pitch his way into the rotation."

Also in the bullpen is Randy Wolf, who went 4-3 with a 4.01 ERA in 12 games, including 11 starts, for Tampa Bay last season.

"Randy is a strong lefty that will really help the bullpen for the time being," O'Neal said. "He's got a chance to make a number of starts this season, depending how the chips fall."

The rest of the bullpen will consist of left-hander Gabe White, closer Paul Quantrill, and right-handers Jack Cressend, Donne Wall, and Byung-Hyun Kim.

"We think we've got a good bullpen and a deep starting rotation with some back-up plans," O'Neal said. "I'm optimistic about what these guys can do."

Catching the pitchers will be Charles Johnson, winner of the last two American League Gold Glove. Johnson hit just .213 with nine homers and 49 RBI last year, but newly acquired backup backstop Paul Lo Duca hopes to get some at bats and provide some punch. Lo Duca hit .274 with 15 homers and 54 RBI in 84 games with the Houston Astros last year. He may see some time at firstbase or outfield to get some extra at bats.

At firstbase will be Paul Konerko, who hit .293 with 31 home runs and 115 RBI in 155 games last season. Erubiel Durazo may see some time at first base as well but the big slugger will spend most of his time as the designated hitter. Durazo hit .299 with 32 round-trippers and 97 RBI in 151 games in 2000.

Adam Kennedy will return as the starting secondbaseman, though Mark Grudzielanek will make some spot starts against left-handed pitchers. Rookie Aubrey Huff opens the year as the starting thirdbaseman while fellow rookie Jimmy Rollins will play a bench role behind shortstop Tony Graffanino. Graffanino hit .297 with eight home runs and 70 RBI last year, and plays all infield positions. Rollins struggled this spring and failed to win the starting shortstop job.

The team opens the year with just four outfielders: Benny Agbayani, Carlos Beltran, Rickey Henderson, and Raul Mondesi.

Agbayani will be the starting leftfielder, although the 42-year-old Henderson will get one or two starts each week. Carlos Beltran will return in centerfield with Raul Mondesi in rightfield.

The batting order to start the year, O'Neal said, will feature Beltran as the leadoff man, Kennedy second, Mondesi third, Durazo in cleanup, Konerko as the fifth batter, Agbayani sixth, Huff seventh, Graffanino eighth, and Johnson last.

"I think we've got a good ballclub," the skipper said. "If we stay healthy and guys do their jobs, we can give the rest of the division a run for the money. Yankees and the rest."