Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers got out of Colorado alive and with three straight victories after dropping Opening Day. Tonight, they open their first series against an American League team as they take on the A’s. Oakland had a tough weekend, as Houston went into Oakland and swept a four-game set, outscoring the A’s 35-9.
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|---|---|---|---|
| 6:40 P.M. | Oakland | ||
| RF | Betts | CF | Canha |
| SS | Seager (L) | 2B | Lowrie (S) |
| 3B | Turner | 1B | Olsen (L) |
| CF | Bellinger (L) | DH | Moreland (L) |
| C | Smith | 3B | Chapman |
| DH | Muncy (L) | C | Murphy |
| 2B | Taylor | RF | Tom (L) |
| 1B | Rios (L) | SS | Andrus |
| LF | McKinstry (L) | LF | Kemp (L) |
| P | May (R) | P | Montas (R) |
Dustin May won the fifth start spot over David Price/Tony Gonsolin/Jimmy Nelson, and makes his first start of the season tonight. May is coming off a season where he finished in fifth place in NL Rookie of the Year voting, with a 2.57 ERA and 4.62 FIP in 56 innings last year. He showed flashes of dominance, but didn’t strike out nearly as many batters as you’d expect someone with his stuff to. His 19.6% strikeout rate last season was the lowest among Dodger starters not named Ross Stripling or Mitch White. Obviously Spring Training comes with a whole bunch of caveats, but May struck out 15 of 59 batters he saw in the spring, or 28.8 percent. May started against Oakland last September. He picked up five strikeouts and allowed two runs over five innings.
Old friend Frankie Montas takes the hill for the A’s in search of their first win. Montas was one of the pieces sent to Oakland in the Rich Hill trade, and for a while looked like a future guy in Oakland. Montas was excellent in the first half of the 2019 season, with a 2.70 ERA through June. However, he was suspended 80 games for testing positive for PED’s. He made one last start in 2019 (was ineligible for the postseason) and struggled in 2020. In 11 starts (53 innings), Montas posted a 5.60 ERA/4.74 FIP. His velo was down across the board, and he went from a potential top-of-the-rotation arm to Oakland’s number 5. Montas allowed six runs in eight Spring Training outings. He started opposite May against the Dodgers last September and allowed seven hits and five runs in four innings. Max Muncy, Chris Taylor and AJ Pollock all homered off Montas.
Muncy and Taylor are both starting today, Muncy getting the Dodgers’ first DH slot of the season and Taylor getting the start at second. Gavin Lux gets the night off, and Edwin Rios starts at first. Zach McKinstry gets his second start of the season, this time in left field.
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Shut up and take my money.
The Dodgers also announced they will have a ring ceremony before the home opener.
This weekend will also see a tribute to Tommy Lasorda and a celebration of Fernandomania.
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First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM PST and will be shown on Sportsnet LA.
