Cardinals pick Carlos Martinez to start Opening Night vs. Cubs

JUPITER, Fla. -- The St. Louis Cardinals have picked Carlos Martinez to start on Opening Night against the World Series champion Chicago Cubs.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told Martinez about the choice before he pitched Wednesday in an exhibition game against Washington.

"He was excited," Matheny said.

The Cardinals host the NL Central rival Cubs on April 2.

Adam Wainwright had started the past four openers for the Cardinals. Matheny said Wainwright, who will pitch the second game, took the news well about Martinez.

"It's nice having the conversation with somebody that just gets it," Matheny said. "I don't know how to say it any better than that."

The 25-year-old Martinez was an All-Star in 2015. He went 16-9 with a 3.04 ERA last year.

"There's going to be a lot of excitement that night," Matheny said. "That's going to be a fun game. Our stadium is going to be alive. It always is on opening day anyhow. There's added stuff."

"Him maintaining and containing all that excitement and energy, it's going to be a great challenge, but it's also a great reward for what he's done so far and what we see him doing going into the future," he said.

Wainwright was 13-9 with a 4.62 ERA last year. The three-time All-Star will start the second game against the Cubs on April 4 at Busch Stadium.

Matheny wouldn't commit to the remainder of the rotation.

"We'll just kind of see how the rest play out," he said.

Lance Lynn will start against Triple-A affiliate Memphis in Tennessee on March 30 and Mike Leake will start the following day against Double-A Springfield in Missouri, Matheny said.

Matheny said Wainwright drew on experience gained as a minor leaguer in the Atlanta system, relaying a story about manager Bobby Cox determining whether to start Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine or John Smoltz on opening day by selecting the pitcher who finished highest in the previous year's Cy Young Award balloting.

"We talk so much about the healthy competition," Matheny said. "That's just another addition to that."

Martinez's start was his first since returning to the Cardinals from pitching with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. His only other Grapefruit League appearance came on March 1 when he threw three shutout innings against the New York Mets.

Martinez posted a 1.13 ERA in two WBC appearances, covering two starts.