For the third consecutive season, James Shields will take the mound for the Rays on Opening Day.
The Rays made the official announcement on Friday morning, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times via Twitter.
At 28, Shields is the veteran of the Rays’ youthful rotation. The right-hander is not a dominant ace in the Josh Beckett or CC Sabathia mold, but Shields has consistently proven capable of giving manager Joe Maddon a solid effort every fifth day.
Shields was just 11-12 with a 4.14 ERA last season, and surrendered 239 hits and 29 homers in 219 2/3 innings of work. However, Shields also walked only 52 batters while striking out 167, and a .317 opponents’ batting average on balls in play indicates that he was somewhat unlucky.
Shields has compiled a 43-36 career record and owns a 4.01 ERA in 118 starts over four big league seasons. He is 1-1 in his two previous Opening Day assignments, beating the Orioles in 2008 and losing to the Red Sox last April.
