Axelrod to be Birmingham's Opening Day starter

Right-hander Dylan Axelrod will be Birmingham's Opening Day starter Thursday against the Biscuits. Axelrod was 8-3 with a 1.99 ERA last year at high-Class A before a late-season promotion to the Barons. In two starts with Birmingham, he was 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He is a former teammate of Biscuits infielder Cody Cipriano at UC-Irvine.