HOUSTON -- Right-hander Brandon Backe will likely not make his first start of the regular season on Wednesday against the Marlins.

It's more probable that he'll pitch Game 4, which falls on Friday against the Nationals after the scheduled off-day on Thursday. Wandy Rodriguez, who threw two innings for Double-A Corpus Christi on Monday, will pitch Wednesday in Backe's place.

If Backe cannot pitch Friday either, Taylor Buchholz would make that start against the Nationals. Buchholz, the fifth starter, isn't scheduled to start until April 11. However, he will be available out of the bullpen beginning Wednesday and would be pitching on full rest should the Astros need him for the opener with the Nationals.

Backe would in turn take Buchholz's spot in the rotation and pitch on April 11 in San Francisco.

Backe is suffering from a twinge in the middle of his back, just below the shoulder blade. He started feeling the discomfort toward the end of Spring Training but was encouraged with how he felt after his final exhibition start last Friday against the Royals.

However, the Astros will likely err on the side of caution and give him the extra rest regardless of how he feels Wednesday.

"It's not something that's totally debilitating," manager Phil Garner said. "It's there. It grabs him a little bit right when he make his effort to go to the plate."

Backe's poor spring numbers are likely in part a result of his back ailment. The right-hander was 1-3 with an 8.56 ERA over seven games (six starts). He yielded 12 home runs -- nine of which arrived in his last three starts.

Backe is going through his normal routine of throwing on the side, working out and running, but prior to Monday's game he sounded vague with regard to his immediate future.

"We're trying to get inflammation down," he said. "I don't know exactly what the problem is and that's what I'm trying to figure out. Right now, I'm just not feeling good. We're just trying to figure out the problem and go from there."

Soaking it in: Buchholz didn't try to hide his excitement for his first Opening Day, although he was thrust into the spotlight a little earlier than expected.

He was asked to participate in the pregame pep rally outside of Minute Maid Park early afternoon, and found himself in front of a streetfull of fans, having a give-and-take with play-by-play broadcaster Milo Hamilton.

"It was fun," the 24-year-old Buchholz said. "I'll have to get used to it. I'm probably more nervous doing that than pitching on the mound."

40 the new 30: Across the room, Biggio prepared for Opening Day -- his 19th.

Asked how he has seemingly found the fountain of youth, the 40-year-old Biggio shrugged and said his mother deserves most of the credit, along with his three kids, who run him ragged at home.

"When I was younger, I tried to look older," he said. "Now that I'm older, I try to look younger."

Good start? Hopefully, the start of the new season will end the talk of the 15-30 start the Astros had last year. But prior to the Astros' opener on Monday, the players were again asked to address their obvious desire to not start this year in the same manner.

Lance Berkman admitted to feeling a certain level of anxiety at the start of each season, when teams have a wide-open opportunity to jump to a fast start. He knows it doesn't always work that way.

"There's that apprehension, the unknown," he said. "I always say the first month of the season for me is the most stressful, because by the end of April, you either know if you got off to a good start or if you're going have to dig your way out of a hole. Either way, you know. This is a tough portion of the season, at least for me."

Community issues: Chris Burke will pitch to youth players at St. Monica Youth Baseball Fields on Wednesday in a ribbon-cutting ceremony introducing the newly refurbished facility.

The fields are the fourth project to be refurbished by Minute Maid and the Astros through Grand Slam for Youth Baseball -- a community outreach effort that seeks to foster self-confidence, involvement, teamwork, and fun among area children. The refurbishment project included permanent fencing, a new electronic scoreboard, new bleachers with safety railings, dugout covers, an improved playing field, and a flagpole. Minute Maid and the Astros plan to renovate one local youth ball field each year for the next 24 years.