The Los Angeles Dodgers received an all-around effort en route to their 15-0 win against the San Diego Padres on Monday. It was the largest shutout victory on Opening Day in Major League Baseball history. What’s more, every starter in the Dodgers lineup had at least one hit.
Los Angeles now looks to avoid a letdown as they face another Padres right-hander in James Shields. On Opening Day last season, the Dodgers scored two runs on six hits against Shields, who recorded eight strikeouts in six innings of work in a no-decision.
Shields is a career 1-0 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 13 walks and 27 strikeouts in five starts (32 innings) against the Dodgers; he faced them four times last season. Overall at Petco Park in 2015, the veteran right-hander went 6-3 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 16 starts.
Two of those outings came with the Dodgers in town, during which he threw a combined 12 innings, allowing eight hits, four runs, walking nine and tallying 10 strikeouts. Starting opposite Shields is his former teammate with the Tampa Bay Rays, Scott Kazmir.
After signing a three-year, $48 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason, Kazmir went through an inconsistent Spring Training. He was skipped over in a Cactus League start and instead sent to pitch in a B game.
Upon returning, Kazmir’s velocity and command was improved. The southpaw said he felt good after his final tuneup and thought he successfully completed his annual Spring Training process.
The Dodgers lineup largely remains the same, with the lone changes coming at catcher, where Austin Barnes starts in place of A.J. Ellis, and of course on the mound. Chase Utley, Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez went a combined 9-for-19 with five RBIs on Monday.
Gonzalez and Utley tied for the team lead on Monday with three hits each. Gonzalez also tied with Ellis for a team-high three RBIs. Dating back to last season, the Dodgers own an active seven-game winning streak against the Padres.
Dodgers lineup:
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
RF: Yasiel Puig
LF: Carl Crawford
CF: Joc Pederson
C: Austin Barnes
P: Scott Kazmir
Padres lineup:
CF: Jon Jay
2B: Cory Spangenberg
RF: Matt Kemp
1B: Wil Myers
C: Derek Norris
3B: Yangervis Solarte
SS: Alexei Ramirez
LF: Melvin Upton Jr.
P: James Shields
