After going 3-2 on their first road trip of the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers return to Chavez Ravine for the home opener and the start of a four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds.
Walker Buehler takes the mound in the Dodger Stadium opener for a second consecutive year after facing the Washington Nationals last season. The right-hander earned an Opening Day win against the Colorado Rockies in his previous outing, allowing four hits and two runs with five strikeouts in five innings pitched.
It marked Buehler’s first career Opening Day start. Clayton Kershaw had been the Dodgers’ de facto Opening Day starter all but two times since 2011, with injuries being the only reason for the two previous changes.
Buehler enjoyed his best season in 2021 with a 2.47 ERA and 212 strikeouts over 207.2 innings. Aside from a few bumpy outings, the right-hander spent much of the year at the top of National League Cy Young Award consideration.
Buehler owns a 22-6 record, 2.30 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with 359 strikeouts in 53 career games at Dodger Stadium (49 starts). He is 1-3 with a 3.23 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in five career starts against the Reds.
Cincinnati counters with Luis Cessa, who presumably will serve as an opener. The 29-year-old right-hander last made a start in 2018 and all but 19 of his 157 career appearances have come as a reliever.
Cessa has tossed 2.2 scoreless innings to begin the year, with both appearances coming out of the bullpen. He is looking to build on an impressive 2021 campaign with the New York Yankees and Reds that saw him go 3-1 with a 2.51 ERA, 3.39 FIP and 1.14 WHIP in 64.2 innings pitched (53 games).
Left-handed pitcher Reiver Sanmartin was originally scheduled to start, so it appears the Dodgers presume he will pitch the majority of the innings once Cessa is out of the game.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts opted to put Justin Turner in the cleanup spot, where he previously was against the southpaw Kyle Freeland, and gives the start at third base to Hanser Alberto, who has historically hit lefties well, while giving Gavin Lux a day off.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
SS: Trea Turner
DH: Justin Turner
2B: Max Muncy
C: Will Smith
LF: Chris Taylor
CF: Cody Bellinger
3B: Hanser Alberto
P: Walker Buehler
Reds lineup
2B: Jonathan India
RF: Tyler Naquin
CF: Jake Fraley
1B: Joey Votto
C: Tyler Stephenson
LF: Aristides Aquino
3B: Mike Moustakas
SS: Kyle Farmer
DH: Colin Moran
P: Luis Cessa
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