After a dominant relief outing in his Major League debut, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Max Scherzer is heading to the rotation to make his first career start on Monday. If Scherzer is as dirty against the Phillies as he was in his debut, he could stick in the rotation for more than just a spot start. Over the long term, though, look for Scherzer’s rough mechanics to force him back into a relief role.

Arizona sees Scherzer as a future starter, but the club could find itself in a similar situation with him as the New York Yankees were with Joba Chamberlain and the Boston Red Sox with Jonathan Papelbon. Do they keep the most electric arm in their organization at the back end of the bullpen, or do they rock the boat and hope Scherzer can be equally as dominant while eating more innings?

Each case is different, so it is difficult to tell how the D-backs will handle this one. Like Scherzer, both Chamberlain and Papelbon made their marks as bullpen sensations, then flirted with moving into starting roles, and ultimately ended up back in the ‘pen.

The difference between Scherzer and Chamberlain is that Chamberlain has not gotten a chance to make a Major League start. Papelbon’s first three appearances as a rookie in 2005 were starts, but he was then moved to the bullpen and the rest is history. Scherzer, after 4.1 perfect innings and seven strikeouts in his debut, gets his chance against the Phillies on Monday.

Regardless of his role the rest of the year, Scherzer is a good bet to keep dominating opposing hitters. With his funky, deceptive delivery, that 96 mph fastball stays hidden and explodes on hitters at the last instant. He also brings a hard, plus-slider that is equally difficult to pick up and dives down and out of the strike zone.

But, Scherzer’s mechanics are likely too dirty to stay in the rotation for a long period of time. He jerks his head at the release point and puts maximum effort into every pitch. The heavier his workload is, the more risk his violent delivery poses to his arm.

As a reliever, Scherzer won’t have to worry about pacing himself with low-to-mid 90s heat. Instead, he can get amped up, touch some 98s and mow down big league hitters. The second he shows some ineffectiveness as a starter, the D-backs will throw his name into the mix with Tony Pena and Chad Qualls to bridge the gap to closer Brandon Lyon.

Speaking of young National League West pitchers …

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley won his first game of the season on Wednesday night, throwing 7.0 effective innings and striking out eight in a 13-1 rout of the Florida Marlins. The strikeouts have been there all season, he now has 40 in 27.2 innings, but Billingsley entered Wednesday’s start with four straight losses and a 6.53 ERA.

Diamondbacks starter Micah Owings improved his season batting average to .421 and delivered a game-tying, pinch-hit home run in Arizona’s 8-7 win over the Houston Astros. It was Owings’ first homer of the season and his fifth in 79 careet at-bats. Owings, a two-way player in college (at Georgia Tech and Tulane), has a .354 lifetime average.

Neither San Francisco Giants left-hander Jonathan Sanchez nor Colorado Rockies right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez factored into the decision in a matchup of intriguing young pitchers in San Francisco. Both were chased in the sixth inning as a Jose Castillo homer in the seventh snapped a 2-2 tie and lifted the Giants to a series win over the Rockies.

Other thoughts on the matter …

The Bucky Channel flat out thinks Scherzer is awesome.

Fantasy Baseball Strategist thinks we have all found a new best friend.

Roto Professor breaks down Billingsley’s perplexing high strikeout and high ERA numbers.

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.