PEORIA, Ariz. – Manager Bob Melvin says the decision to name Jamie Moyer as the Seattle Mariners’ opening-day starting pitcher was “a slam dunk.”

In dropping Freddy Garcia to No. 3 in the rotation, Melvin insists that it’s neither a dunk nor a slam to the man who started the last three openers.

“It’s nothing against Freddy,” Melvin said. “Freddy’s a two-time All-Star and he doesn’t care where he pitches.”

Melvin set the rotation Saturday, with Moyer starting the April 6 season opener against Anaheim, followed by Joel Pineiro, Garcia, Ryan Franklin and Gil Meche.

“Moyer deserves it,” Melvin said. “What he’s done the last three years, not only statistically for him but for this team, he’s a slam dunk for that spot.”

Moyer has started one opener in his career, in 2000 when Pedro Martinez and the Boston Red Sox beat him 2-0 at Safeco Field. Since then he has gone 67-30, including a 20-6 record in 2001 and 21-7 last year.

“He loves to pitch at Safeco Field and sometimes it takes a special guy to pitch an opening day,” Melvin said. “Sometimes it’s a difficult game to pitch, your first day at home with everybody screaming and yelling, and he is the right man for that.”

Melvin believes Pineiro is the right man to follow Moyer in the rotation. Pineiro, who went 16-11 with a 3.78 ERA in 2003, signed a three-year contract for $14.5 million in the offseason.

“We think Joel has a tremendously high ceiling,” Melvin said. “We’re just kind of adding to the mix with Joel and pushing him along a little further to be the kind of guy that we think he should be.”

Melvin said he would follow the same pitching plan as last year and keep the starters in rotation even when there are days off in the schedule. He has said that was one factor that allowed the Mariners to become the first team since the 1966 Dodgers to use just five starters for an entire season.

“We won’t just bump the fifth guy unless we feel there’s some fatigue or some injury problems that we’d like to give them all the extra day,” Melvin said.