Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Volquez to get Opening Day start
JUPITER — Edinson Volquez will start on Opening Day for the Miami Marlins, manager Don Mattingly announced Friday.
The right-handed Volquez, the club’s signature offseason addition, will take the ball April 3 against the Nationals in Washington, D.C., pitching in his team’s first game of the season for the fifth time in his career.
After a poor 2016 season, Volquez becomes the unofficial leader of a Miami rotation that lacks a true ace in the absence of Jose Fernandez, who likely would have drawn this assignment had he been alive.
“It really could’ve been a number of guys,” Mattingly said. “We feel like [Volquez is] the right guy. He pitches with big intensity. An Opening Day crowd I feel like will be good for him.
“At first we were talking about pushing Volky back depending on how long the WBC went. … When he got back, we knew we could get it lined up and get him his work and get him feeling comfortable.”
Following Volquez in the Marlins’ rotation will be righties Dan Straily and Tom Koehler against the Nats, then lefty-Wei-Yin Chen against the Mets in New York. The Marlins have not determined their fifth starter.
Left-hander Adam Conley and right-hander Jose Urena are two candidates.
“We have to figure out who we think the best guy is for that,” Mattingly said.
Earlier this week, president of baseball operations Michael Hill said the organization is not worried about Conley’s poor spring performance. But he wanted to see Conley pitch better.
“He still needs to go out and do those things, show he’s ready to help us win ballgames come April 3,” Hill said.
Volquez starting the opener also puts him on track to start the sixth game of the season, Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN against the Mets on April 9.
Mattingly telegraphed the Opening Day decision throughout spring training. Last month, on the day pitchers and catchers reported, Mattingly mentioned only Volquez by name when asked who he could see emerging as his team’s No. 1 starter. The Marlins, Mattingly said, liked the pedigree Volquez brings, having pitched on big stages before, including a wild-card game and the World Series.
“Edinson, if anything, is probably the guy with the most experience, been through the most, won a World Series, he’s pitched high-impact games,” Mattingly said. “So he would be the one guy I think would be our guy as far as handling all different situations.”
Volquez also started on Opening Day for the 2011 Cincinnati Reds, the 2012 and 2013 San Diego Padres and the 2016 Kansas City Royals.
Volquez, 33 years old and a veteran of 12 major league seasons, signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Marlins in December after one of the worst seasons of his career. Pitching for the Royals, Volquez had a 5.37 ERA and 1.55 WHIP.
Yelich and Stanton return
Christian Yelich stood in front of his locker Friday afternoon, an equipment bag full of red, white and blue souvenirs at his feet, still coming down from the high of winning the World Baseball Classic with Team USA this week.
The clothes, Yelich said, still reeked — in the best way — of alcohol. And so did the goggles he handed teammate and locker neighbor Miguel Rojas.
“Oh man, these smell like champagne,” Rojas said. “Save these for September.” Yelich and Giancarlo
Stanton are back with the Miami Marlins after winning gold, and they couldn’t speak highly enough of their WBC experience. It was the most fun he has had playing baseball, Yelich said. Stanton mostly agreed, but noted the exception of youth-baseball doubleheaders when he got to wear his uniform all day.
“Guys were saying it was a playoff atmosphere,” Yelich said. “In some cases, they said that night at Marlins Park was the loudest stadium they’ve ever played in. That was something special. It was deafening in there.”
Team USA had an issue getting the best American players — including every MVP and Cy Young Award winner of the past three years — to play. But Stanton said he doesn’t plan on having to sell anybody on participation the next time around, in 2021.
“I don’t think I’ll need to tell them anything,” Stanton said. “They watched. They watched and saw.”
Mattingly said Yelich and Stanton will return to the Marlins’ lineup Saturday.
More cuts
The Marlins made more cuts Friday, and 37 players remain in major league spring training.
Right-handers Scott Copeland, Stephen Fife and Javy Guerra and lefthander Kelvin Marte were re-assigned to minor league camp.