News and Notes

• Scott Baker was named the Opening Day starter for the Twins, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The Twins will begin the season with a rotation of Baker, Francisco Liriano, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins and Nick Blackburn - alternating the two lefties with the three righties.


• Vernon Wells will be sidelined for the next month with a strained left hamstring suffered in Monday's workout. He will undergo an MRI to gain a better understanding of the injury, but Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi said, said he's going to miss four weeks.


• Marmol said Monday he's not going to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, and will stay with the Cubs this spring, the Cubs Web Sit reports. "I'm not going," Marmol said after his workout Monday. "I want to stay here and work with Larry [Rothschild, pitching coach] and stay with the team. It's hard to say no." I wonder if this has anything to do with Lou Piniella telling the Assoicated Press that the Closer job is up in the air between him and Kevin Gregg.


• Orlando Hudson reports that his surgically repaired left wrist is "no issue at all", the Dodgers' official site reports. Hudson was limited to 107 games with the injury last season, but appears ready to go this year. He'll likely bat second behind Rafael Furcal, and should a certain mercurial left fielder be hitting behind him, that would certainly help Hudson offensively, particularly in the "runs" category