Billingsley: Will Start Season As Relief Pitcher

Chad Billingsley will be pitching out of the bullpen for at least the start of the 2007 season. One of the Dodgers' top young arms, Billingsley has made only six professional relief appearances -- two in 2005 at Double-A, two in 2006 with the Dodgers during the regular season and two against the Mets in last year's playoffs. With Billingsley out of the starting mix, Hong-Chih Kuo, Brett Tomko and Mark Hendrickson are the front-runners to claim to the fifth spot in the Dodgers rotation, with non-roster invitee Joe Mays and Eric Stults seemingly on the outside looking in. All five remaining candidates have pitched relatively well this spring.
Source: MLB.com