Duke: Named Pirates Opening Day Starter

On Thursday, Pirates manager Jim Tracy named Zach Duke as the Opening Day starter. Interesting choice, as Duke (4.15 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 10 Ks in 13 IP) has been outperformed by Ian Snell (2.45 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 13 Ks in 11 IP) this spring. Tracy likely gave Duke the nod because of his status as the team’s “workhorse” -- he led the Bucs in starts (34) and innings (215 1/3) in 2006 -- though owners will want to pay more attention to Snell because of his strikeout ability.
Source: MLB.com