Diamondbacks 2011 Spring Training Update: Ian Kennedy Gets It Done, Roster Moves

Ian Kennedy pitched a quality outing at a time when it mattered, pitching 5.1 innings while allowing only three hits and no runs.

Heading into Monday night’s game against the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks’ Opening Day starter had been having a mediocre spring.

While performances in the first few weeks of spring training aren’t to be too heavily scrutinized, had Kennedy not pitched well Monday, there would definitely be some concern.

Meanwhile, the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation appear as if they will be huge liabilities to the team. Armando Galarraga and Joe Saunders, the expected fourth- and fifth-slotted starters, have both been awful, and neither has actually been named as a member of the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster at this point. 

For a team without a strong top of the rotation, reliability at all five spots is crucial. Having ineffective fourth and fifth starters will likely end up taxing the bullpen to a point where it is too fatigued to be counted on, and we could see a repeat of the 2010 bullpen implosions.

The Diamondbacks also made some roster moves Monday. They have officially named Barry Enright a starter in the rotation, a job that Enright has more than earned. Not only has he had a successful spring, but he also started 17 games in 2010 and had a very respectable 3.91 ERA.

Additionally, they optioned Wily Mo Pena and Micah Owings to the minor-league camp. The move with Owings was not surprising; the move with Pena was more unexpected. Pena had been having a quality spring, batting .341 with three home runs.

Owings, on the other hand, had pitched 7.1 innings and established a 7.37 ERA. He was a long shot to make the Opening Day roster, but there was hope that he could be used as a middle reliever and his ability at the plate could prove to be an asset during games since there would be less concern about pinch-hitting for him.

With only a little over a week until Opening Day, the countdown to baseball continues.