As has been the case for nearly the past 10 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers named Clayton Kershaw their Opening Day starter, selecting the left-hander over Walker Buehler. Manager Dave Roberts described the decision as a ‘difficult’ one, noting Buehler’s emergence last year.
For Kershaw, it’s a return to the honor he held from 2011-2018. He holds the Dodgers franchise record for most Opening Day starts, and only had his streak snapped last year because of shoulder trouble.
In being given the ball for the matchup with the San Francisco Giants on March 26, Kershaw spoke with Buehler and Roberts to ensure it was earned and not simply in respect to his legacy.
With Kershaw, Buehler and David Price aligned to start during the Opening Series, the Giants are countering with Johnny Cueto in the season opener, followed by Jeff Samardzija, and either Drew Smyly or Kevin Gausman, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle:
Kapler said Cueto will pitch Opening Day and Samardzija the second game. Smyly and Gausman or Gausman and Smyly will go next two games.
— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) March 11, 2020
Cueto is slated to make his fifth career Opening Day start, but his first for the Giants. His previous four came consecutively from 2012-2015 with the Cincinnati Reds. The veteran right-hander logged seven innings in each of those outings and has a 0.64 ERA.
Kershaw is 5-1 with a 1.05 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 59 strikeouts across 51.2 innings in his eight Opening Day starts. The lone loss came to the Giants in 2018, despite Kershaw allowing just one run.
While the pitchers are set, what Opening Day will entail — and if it will even take place at Dodger Stadium or at all — is hardly settled. MLB is taking its cues from public health officials as it pertains to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The World Health Organization declared the crisis to be a pandemic, and several teams have taken action.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed banned all large gatherings (minimum 1,000 people), including for Golden State Warriors games, for at least the next two weeks in effort to curb coronavirus spreading.
The Giants subsequently announced they will not play a March 24 exhibition game at Oracle Park against the Oakland Athletics. The Warriors are due to play without any fans in attendance on Thursday.
The Dodgers recently had team primary care physician Dr. John Plosay address the clubhouse at Camelback Ranch to better inform players on coronavirus and taking preventative action.
Some MLB teams reportedly are evaluating alternative options in the event they are unable to host home games in the coming weeks.
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