Cueto named Opening Day starter

GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Reds manager Dusty Baker on Monday once again removed all doubt about who his starter will be for Opening Day.

Johnny Cueto, 26, will take the ball when the Reds, picked by many as one of the favorites in the National League, host the Miami Marlins on Thursday, April 5.

Last year, Baker ordained Edinson Volquez as the Opening Day starter in the early hours of Spring Training. Volquez struggled in the season-opener against the eventual division champion Milwaukee Brewers, but was bailed out when Ramon Hernandez hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth to propel Cincinnati to a 7-6 win. Unfortunately, first-inning struggles would be a theme for Volquez in 2011, one of the reasons the organization included him in the package to San Diego which brought Mat Latos to Cincinnati this offseason.

Prior to 2011, Aaron Harang started five consecutive season openers from 2006-10.

Cueto, who led the league in ERA for a portion of 2011, started the season on the disabled list and only managed to start 24 games. Still, when healthy, he was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. He had a team-low ERA of 2.31 before he was shelved for the season early with another nagging muscle issue. He finished 2011 with a 9-5 record and 104 strikeouts in 156 innings pitched.

Cueto, who's entering his fifth year with the Reds, worked on his conditioning more this offseason and said he felt good when he arrived in Goodyear. His ERA has dropped in his first four years and he has earned the number one spot in the Reds' rotation. There is a method to a manager's decision to name an Opening Day starter. You want your best starting pitcher to go up against other teams' number ones as often as possible. The Reds feel as long as Cueto is healthy, he will remain as one of the best pitchers in the league. As far as the rest of the rotation, that remains to be seen.

Pitchers and catchers reported on Sunday with the rest of the team expected to arrive on Friday.

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