I’m not worried. The rankings of 1-5 starters, in the first place, are more for us to determine the skill of pitchers rather than where their managers actually have them slotted in the rotation. Just because he’s starting Opening Day doesn’t make him the best starter; it just makes him the guy Ken Macha thought was ready now.
I think that most of the Suppan hate on the Brewers corners of the internets should be more accurately aimed at Doug Melvin (for signing a league-average starter to an elite contract; admittedly it was a lousy year for FA pitchers) and Ned Yost (for being completely incapable of determining when to pull a pitcher.) Suppan is what it says on his statistical tin. The other part of the hate is probably due to his completely blowing Game 4 of the 2008 NLDS, but who else could the Brewers have put in to pitch? Mark DiFelice wasn’t on the postseason roster and Seth McClung had to mop up CC Sabathia’s massive mess in Game 2. None of the starters except David Bush could have been said to be “on” during the NLDS; blame Sabathia for being Captain Choke and Ben Sheets for mistiming an injury. (Not that Sheets could have helped it, but he could have said something before Yost got fired. Not that Lindsay Gulin would have been much of an upgrade, but his presence could have prevented McClung and Sabathia from pulling the 3 days’ rest game for half the month.)
Warm Summer Days Indoors 