Houston Astros: Manager Jimy Williams announced Sunday that right-hander Roy Oswalt will make his first career Opening Day start, April 1 at Minute Maid Park against the Colorado Rockies. Right-hander Wade Miller will follow Oswalt in the rotation.

Oswalt, 25, led Houston with 19 wins last season. He was 19-9 with a 3.01 ERA, 208 strikeouts and 61 walks.

Williams also has named center fielder Craig Biggio as the likely leadoff hitter while shortstop Julia Lugo likely will bat second, followed by first baseman Jeff Bagwell, outfielder Lance Berkman at clean-up and second baseman Jeff Kent fifth.

Williams is upbeat about the wealth of veterans on the team and said he can see many players filling leadership roles this year.

"We're not looking for a speaker of the house here. Were looking for a daily leader. Maybe (pitcher Wade) Miller can lead today and Oswalt tomorrow. Biggio can lead the next day and Bagwell the day after that. They have enough to think about, they have enough to do, they have enough to focus on much less being a leader."

Houston opens spring training Friday against the Montreal Expos at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla., and has its first exhibition game Saturday against the New York Yankees.

New York Yankees: Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui will start in left field when the Yankees play the first of two intrasquad games Monday.

It will the first game action for Matsui this spring, who signed a free agent contract during the offseason.

"It's something new for him to play left field,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He's done it, but a long time ago. We just want to get him comfortable.''

Torre said center fielder Bernie Williams is working to build up strength in shoulders, a problem that slowed him last season.

"His one shoulder, hitting right handed, it's more work for him right now until it builds back up,'' Torre said. "From last year to this year, it's not even a contest. He did a lot of work in the offseason. He's 100 percent better than last year.''

Williams expects to play Monday.

Lieber to throw off mound: Pitcher Jon Lieber, coming off elbow surgery, is expected to start throwing off a bullpen mound this week.

Lieber, who turns 33 in April, had a ligament in his right elbow replaced in August. He went 20-6 in 2001 for the Chicago Cubs, then was 6-8 with a 3.70 ERA last season before a ligament in his right elbow was replaced Aug. 7.

The right-hander has not ruled out pitching later this year, perhaps in the bullpen.

"I would love to get a taste this season, but it would be a bonus,'' Lieber said.

Lieber, a former All-Star who agreed to a $3.5 million, two-year contract earlier this month, figures to be part of the rotation in 2004.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Fred McGriff needs 22 home runs to reach the 500 plateau. But that's not close enough for him to feel pressure.

"If I had five home runs to go, maybe,'' said McGriff, 39, who begins his 17th season ranked 20th on the career home run list.

McGriff said he's been exposed to pressure throughout his career.

"My first season (1987), I hit 20 home runs. Once you've had success, people expect it out of you all the time,'' he said.

That made last season a difficult one for McGriff, who signed with the Dodgers after the Chicago Cubs declined his $8.5 million option.

McGriff batted .209 with three home runs during his first 40 games in his first full season with the Cubs.

Philadelphia Phillies: New pitching coach Joe Kerrigan likes to watch All-Star pitcher Vicente Padilla throw, saying the right-hander is on par with one of the game's best, three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez.

Kerrigan previously was Martinez's pitching coach in Montreal and Boston. Now, he's coaching Padilla for the first time.

"I told him that I thought his stuff was comparable to Pedro's," Kerrigan said. "I had a chance to catch his curveball, and it's like Pedro's. It's got the same type of bite to it."

A Nicaraguan who speaks broken English, Padilla smiled when hearing Kerrigan's compliment.

"I'm glad that he says those kind of things because Pedro is the best pitcher in baseball," Padilla said through an interpreter.

A converted reliever, Padilla was dubbed the closer of the future when dealt to the Phillies in a 4-for-1 trade that sent Curt Schilling to Arizona in July 2000. Padilla converted to starting while pitching in Triple-A in 2001.

Last year, Padilla, 25, not only won a spot in the Phillies' rotation, but pitched his way onto the NL All-Star team, where he was a teammate of Schilling's.

Despite tiring late in the season, Padilla was 14-11 with a 3.28 ERA in 32 starts. His 14 wins and 206 innings led the team. The Phillies believe his second-half slump can be traced to a heavy workload of 340-plus innings in a 12-month span that included winter ball, spring training and the regular season.

"This year I'm going to be prepared because I know what it takes to be strong in the second half," Padilla said.

Atlanta Braves: After the worst season of his career, Javy Lopez decided it was time to try a new routine.

"Lifting weights and eating like a pig,'' he said with an embarrassed grin. "That wasn't a good combination.''

So, Lopez decided to eat healthier, do more running and alter his weightlifting routine. Now, he's the amazing shrinking catcher, reporting for camp with the Braves weighing 35 pounds less than he did a year ago.

Lopez hopes that fewer pounds adds up to better numbers. Certainly, he can't afford to have another season like 2002, when he batted a career-low .233 with 11 homers and 52 RBI.

"I need to prove that I've still got a lot of years left in me,'' he admitted.

The timing couldn't be more critical. Lopez is 32 and entering the final year of his contract.

Colorado Rockies: For nearly three seasons, left field had become a black hole for Colorado. Jay Payton may change all that.

Following Dante Bichette's departure after the 1999 season and before Payton's arrival last July 31 in a trade with the Mets, nearly two dozen players had tried and failed -- some miserably -- as left fielders for the Rockies. They struggled at the plate and in the field, particularly in the spacious acreage of Coors Field.

Although primarily a center fielder, Payton made 25 of his 41 starts for Colorado in left, and he did more than just survive the ordeal. He hit .335 with eight homers and 28 RBI and fielded flawlessly.

"I understand they've had a hard time getting somebody out there who's been consistent," Payton said Sunday. "Hopefully, I can be that guy. The little bit of time I played in left field last year, I enjoyed it."

Payton, who avoided arbitration and signed a one-year, $1.85 million contract with Colorado last month, poses a dilemma for the Rockies. They want him to excel this season. But if he does, they probably can't afford to keep him.

Once free-spending, the Rockies, faced with declining attendance, have become one of baseball's more budget-conscious teams. If Payton continues his hot hitting in 2003, he likely would command about $4 million the following year, a figure Colorado probably can't match without unloading one of its higher-salaried players, such as Denny Neagle or Larry Walker.

Payton's name was already mentioned in trade talk this offseason.

"I don't want that to happen," he said. "I like it in Colorado. I'd like to work something out beyond this season."

Milwaukee Brewers: Prince Fielder knows he has no chance of breaking camp with the big club, yet he's relishing his invitation to spring training nonetheless.

"I'm just taking in some of the major leaguers' work ethic, seeing how they work and prepare every day," the stocky, 18-year-old slugger said.

Fielder was the seventh overall pick in last summer's draft and he had a solid season at Ogden in the Pioneer Rookie League before being promoted to Class-A Beloit for the final month.

Overall, he hit .326 with 13 homers and 51 RBI in 73 games.

The Brewers' new regime had no plans of inviting Fielder to camp this soon -- he'll probably start off at Class A this year.

But Cecil Fielder, the former big-league slugger who is Prince's father and agent, told the team that Fielder had been promised an invitation to major league camp by Bill Lajoie, who worked for former general manager Dean Taylor, when he signed.

"So, we just decided there was no harm in bringing the kid to camp," new general manager Doug Melvin said. "He'll go out on the first cut. He knows that."

Texas Rangers: Right-handed closer Ugueth Urbina is being counted on by the Rangers, who are looking for the right-hander to be a solid contributor to a bullpen that lost a major-league record 38 games in 2002. Texas finished last in the AL West for the third straight year.

The two-time All-Star, who joined Texas as a free agent in the off-season, saved 40 games with the Red Sox last season. Even though he's the last player on the Rangers 40-man roster in camp, Urbina said it won't take him long to get in pitching shape.

"I'll be ready in two weeks," the 29-year-old said. "I always wait until spring training to start throwing. Otherwise you get started too quick."

Urbina had been expected in camp Saturday, but changes in his flight plans from Venezuela kept him from getting to Surprise, Ariz., until Sunday.

Montreal Expos: Some players set targets for hits or home runs, but all Expos third baseman Fernando Tatis wants is a season free of injuries.

"My goal is to stay healthy all year, to keep my shoulder strong, that's all,'' Tatis said Sunday.

Tatis, 28, has battled shoulder and knee injuries since he was acquired on Dec. 14, 2000, along with pitcher Britt Reames from the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline.

The Expos have never seen Tatis play to his full potential, but they hope his return to full health will boost their batting order and give them an experienced third baseman.

"He looks much better,'' manager Frank Robinson said. "I wouldn't say he's 100 percent, but he looks 100 percent better.

"Last year at this time, he couldn't even throw a baseball. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it holds up. He gives us a better lineup, but the real thing is that it helps our defense. He should have a better defensive year if he's healthy.''

What Tatis can do with a bat was made clear in 1999 with St. Louis, when he batted .298 with 34 home runs. He also scored 104 runs and drove in 107 runs.

San Francisco Giants: Kurt Ainsworth and Ryan Jensen consider themselves good friends, though they're both competing for the No. 5 job in the Giants' rotation.

The two right-handers golf together and hang out after spring training workouts. They leave the competition in the clubhouse.

Pitching coach Dave Righetti believes both would do a fine job, though Jensen appears to have the edge so far in spring training because of his track record.

He went 13-8 with a 4.51 ERA last season for the defending NL champions, pitching 171 2/3 innings. He struck out 105 and walked 66. But Jensen struggled after a strong start, leaving some questions as to what his role will be.

Opponents hit .292 against him after the All-Star break, and he didn't make the postseason roster.