Guo's Debut Live Blogged!

Diamond Leung is going to kindly live blog the 2008 Spring Training debut of HongZhi Guo. Hat tip to Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts.

Skinny: While this normally wouldn't be any big deal. Guo hasn't faced live batting in quite a while. And to top things off, this will be the first impression that new manager Joe Torre has of Guo. We all know that Guo is fighting for one of the last remaining spots in the pitching staff and a decent outing would undoubtedly leave a good impression in Torre's mind. Let's pray for the best.

Healthy & Effective?

In Jon Weisman's DodgerThoughts, Spring Training Breakdown of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jon opines that he believes HongZhi Guo has a spot on the opening day 25-man roster if he can just do two things... Cut down on the visits to the surgeon (stay healthy) and don't walk too many people (be effective). In fact here is what Jon had to say about Guo.

Hong-Chih [G]uo, LHP: I think the Dodgers are past the point of worrying whether [G]uo would be better as a starting pitcher or a reliever. They're just wondering if he can stay healthy for consecutive months. Being out of options, [G]uo should make the Opening Day roster if he's upright, especially if the team goes with 12 pitchers. As a left-hander, he even has a shot joining the otherwise all-righty Dodger starting rotation if Schmidt can't answer the bell. He'll stick as long as he's healthy and effective.