Padres Already Eyeing Starting Pitchers for Home Opener Series

It seems that the San Diego Padres are starting to finalize their plans for the start of the new year. The Padres have already announced the two pitchers that will take the mound against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Korea, but we now have an idea of who will start in their home opener series, too.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres will look to have a similar approach to their rotation for their first two home games against the San Francisco Giants. Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove are in line to be the ones to open the new year in front of the San Diego faithful.

"It is likely, those familiar with internal deliberations said, that Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish make two starts before anyone else makes one."

via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune

Darvish and Musgrove are the two most experienced pitchers on the Padres staff, so it makes sense why they would be picked to go first. San Diego will be counting on them heavily this season with all the changes to the rotation, so they will be able to set the tone early.

Both pitchers finished the 2023 season on the injured list, so they have something to prove this year. The level of competitiveness that the Padres will put forward this season directly is connected to how they perform.

This will be another chance for them to make their mark to start the year against a division rival. San Diego opens a four-game series with the Giants starting on March 28.