Brewers manager Craig Counsell tabs Zach Davies to start home opener against St. Louis

PHOENIX - Zach Davies gets to be an opening-day starting pitcher after all, just not the first one.

Manager Craig Counsell announced Saturday that Davies will be the starter for the home opener against St. Louis at Miller Park on Monday, April 2. Counsell previously named Chase Anderson as the starter for the season opener in San Diego on March 29.

But having Davies skip the opening series against the Padres, Counsell gives his top two returning starters from last season a prestigious assignment. The third returning established starter, Jimmy Nelson, will begin the season on the disabled list while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Beyond giving Davies the honor of pitching the first home game, amid the hoopla surrounding that event, Counsell had a second motive. Davies also will be able to pitch in the next series against the Chicago Cubs, giving him assignments against both National League Central rivals.

Davies, who went 17-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 33 starts last season, has a career 2-0 record and 3.41 ERA in six starts against St. Louis and is 5-4 with a 3.90 ERA in 10 outings against Chicago. 

"When we make decisions, you can be sure there are a lot of factors that go into them," Counsell said. "Those (factors) certainly were taken into consideration. You can't match up the whole season. You're seeing who the first couple of starts are going to be against. That's about as far as you can get.

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"The reality is the home opener is a fun game to pitch in. It's a very symbolic game but it's a fun game. I think Zach deserved the opportunity to pitch in that game. And I will tell you we wanted Zach to pitch in that Cubs series. He has done well against them, and his stuff is good against them."

The home opener is always a festive occasion at Miller Park, and Davies said he looked forward to feeding off that atmosphere.

"It's almost like opening day, especially when you come home to the fans in Milwaukee," Davies said. "It's another kind of honor to start at home. It's going to be a lot of fun this year. To throw at home is special.

"There's going to be a lot of fans there because they know we're building something special. There's going to be a lot to cheer for this year."

Counsell previously announced that right-hander Jhoulys Chacin would pitch one of the three games in San Diego but hasn't announced if it will be the second or third game. He is waiting until the final two spots in the rotation are determined, though left-hander Wade Miley is a strong candidate at present. 

"We're far enough way that we could change something around, so we're leaving that open based on the candidates," Counsell said.

Beyond lining up Davies against both the Cardinals and Cubs, Counsell could do likewise with Anderson if he decides to skip a fifth starter the first time around, which is in play with the first Sunday an off-day. Anderson could slot back in for the second game against St. Louis as well as the fourth game in the Chicago series.

Davies was the only starter in the Brewers' rotation to make all of his starts last season, leading the team with 191 1/3 innings. The goal of every starting pitcher is to accumulate as many innings as possible to take stress off the bullpen.

"I think he'd tell you he had a bunch of starts that didn't go well early," Counsell said. "He had some first-inning issues and wasn't out there for a long time because we got down and had to make some moves. 

"He's capable of more (innings), and I'm certainly open to that. But he is a guy who has been out there every fifth day, and that's important. It's very important. We've gradually got him into that. He has been ready to do it.

"There is huge value when guys (reach or approach 200 innings) because it does give those guys in the bullpen rest. That's an important part of them being effective."