Opening Day at Dodger Stadium marks the start of the Los Angeles Dodgers quest for their first World Series title since 1988. Clayton Kershaw takes the mound Monday afternoon against the San Diego Padres in what’s his seventh consecutive Opening Day start.
Kershaw will tie Don Drysdale and Don Sutton for most Opening Day starts in Dodgers franchise history. But only Kershaw and Sutton have done so consecutively. Compared to Drysdale, whose four of seven starts were consecutive (1958-61).
Los Angeles enters 6-0 in season-opening games that Kershaw has started. He’s pitched to a 0.93 ERA, 44 strikeouts, and been credited with a win in four of those contests.
The 29-year-old has thrown at least six innings in five of six Opening Day starts. He fell short against the Padres in 2012, when illness limited him to three scoreless innings.
This year marks a second straight year Kershaw faces the Padres on Opening Day, and third time overall. Last year, he threw seven innings of one-hit ball and recorded nine strikeouts at Petco Park.
Kershaw was dominant this spring, finishing 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, seven walks and 28 strikeouts in 24 innings across seven starts.
San Diego counters with Jhoulys Chacin, who started on Opening Day for the Colorado Rockies in 2013. Chacin spent the 2016 season with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, going a combined 6-8 with a 4.81 ERA, 4.01 FIP and 1.44 WHIP in 34 games (22 starts).
He signed a one-year contract with the Padres during the offseason. Chacin went 0-1 with a 7.30 ERA and 1.86 WHIP in four spring games (three starts).
Logan Forsythe starts at second base and makes his regular-season debut with the Dodgers. Forsythe put together a tremendous spring, batting .340/.407/.396 with three doubles and seven RBI.
Corey Seager is also be in the lineup, after returning from an oblique injury in the exhibition Freeway Series Finale. Seager was limited to just 12 at-bats during Cactus League, though went 2-for-3 on Saturday.
While Forsythe spent much of the spring batting leadoff, that honor goes to Andrew Toles on Opening Day. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted that may be commonplace this season against a right-handed starter.
Yasiel Puig is again batting eighth, where Roberts expects the mercurial outfielder to remain, unless there’s a rise in production.
The Dodgers won 11 of 19 games against the Padres last season, including a sweep in the 2016 Opening Series. Los Angeles outscored San Diego, 25-0, during the three-game set.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Andrew Toles
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
2B: Logan Forsythe
CF: Joc Pederson
C: Yasmani Grandal
RF: Yasiel Puig
P: Clayton Kershaw
Padres lineup:
CF: Manuel Margot
1B: Wil Myers
2B: Yangervis Solarte
RF: Hunter Renfroe
3B: Ryan Schimpf
C: Austin Hedges
SS: Erick Aybar
P: Jhoulys Chacin
LF: Travis Jankowski
