After a long and eventful offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers begin Cactus League play on Saturday with a road matchup against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium.
The Spring Training opener marks the first of two matchups against the Giants this spring. Initially slated for a 12:05 p.m. PT start time, the contest was pushed back to 2:15 p.m. PT due to inclement weather.
“A little bit on the outfield side,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said when asked if he was nervous of the playing conditions.
“We’re certainly going to go over there and walk it, see how it looks. But they’ve got their guys out there, too. Especially early on, very, very cognizant of health, for sure. It’s not ideal.”
Making his 2020 Spring Training debut is Tony Gonsolin, who fared well in his first taste of big league action last year. The right-hander appeared in 11 games for the Dodgers (six starts), going 4-2 with a 2.93 ERA, 3.86 FIP and 1.03 WHIP over 40 innings of work.
Gonsolin is one of five candidates that will get looks for the fifth spot in the starting rotation this spring, along with Dustin May, Jimmy Nelson, Ross Stripling and Alex Wood. The latter is slated to start in Sunday’s contest against the Chicago Cubs at Camelback Ranch.
The Giants counter with Dereck Rodriguez, who took a step back last season following a solid rookie campaign in 2018. He compiled a 6-11 record, posting a 5.64 ERA, 5.69 FIP and 1.46 WHIP with 71 strikeouts against 36 walks in 99 innings (28 games, 16 starts).
The Dodgers went 12-7 against the Giants last season and will next meet on March 4 at Camelback Ranch. The two teams kick off the regular season with a three-game series at Dodger Stadium from March 26-28.
Offseason acquisition Mookie Betts is out of the lineup and will make his highly anticipated Dodgers debut against the Cubs on Sunday. So too is Joc Pederson, who is battling right side/hip soreness.
Chris Taylor, Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger are among the regulars slated to play despite the possible sloppy conditions at Scottsdale Stadium.
Dodgers lineup:
SS: Chris Taylor
2B: Max Muncy
CF: Cody Bellinger
DH: A.J. Pollock
LF: Kiké Hernandez
3B: Matt Beaty
C: Will Smith
1B: Edwin Rios
RF: Terrance Gore
Giants lineup:
CF: Steven Duggar
3B: Evan Longoria
1B: Brandon Belt
C: Buster Posey
RF: Jaylin Davis
LF: Austin Slater
SS: Mauricio Dubon
2B: Donovan Solano
DH: Darin Ruf
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