News/views: Liriano will start opening day

BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pirates just named Francisco Liriano their opening day starter April 6 in Cincinnati. Clint Hurdle, in making that announcement here in the media room at McKechnie Field, added that Gerrit Cole and A.J. Burnett would round out that series and that they’ll be followed by either Vance Worley or Jeff Locke, then Charlie Morton.

Views: No surprise on any front. Liriano will be making his second opening day start in a row. (Which, by the way, will end a silly streak of nine different starters.)

“Frankie’s earned it,” Hurdle said.