Left hander Jeff Francis, who tied the club record for wins with 17 and led the Rockies to their first World Series appearance in 2007, will start on Opening Day on March 31 against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Francis will also start and throw two innings in the club’s Cactus League opener, Wednesday at Tucson Electric Park against the White Sox.

Last season Francis went 17-9 with a 4.22 ERA . The wins was in line with the club record, shared by Kevin Ritz (1996) and Pedro Astacio (1999). Francis also went 2-1 with a 4.86 ERA in three postseason games, starting the opener of each series as the Rockies made its way to the World Series before being taken away by the Red Sox.

Francis, the Rockies first pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, has led the team in wins each of the last three seasons. He went 14-12 with a 5.68 ERA in 2005 and 13-11 with a 4.16 ERA in 2006.