From the start of Spring Training, Padres manager Bob Melvin said he was looking at Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove as his Opening Day starter. Both guys have done it before and are infinitely deserving.
The edge goes to the All-Star.
For the second straight year, Darvish will be San Diego's 1st man on the hill. He'll take the ball on Thursday, April 7 against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. While Melvin was probably leaning towards Yu ever so slightly when Cactus League games started, his performance earned him the gig.
Darvish has thrown 7.0 innings and allowed just one run with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Musgrove has not been bad but it's hard to match the level of sharpness his teammate has displayed.
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Interestingly, Darvish is the first Padre to start back-to-back Opening Days since Edinson Volquez did it in 2012 and 2013. In another fun bit of Padres historical trivia, the Friars have won three straight Opening Day games. They've only put together a 4-game streak once before: from 1978 through 1981.
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