Well, we’ve made it. Opening day has arrived. I know I am excited, how about you? The Dodgers are opening the 2017 regular season at home against the San Diego Padres. They’ll play four games before they go on the first road trip of the season to Colorado and Chicago. That’ll be a gross road trip for sure. Coors Field hell and then Chicago in April? No thanks man. Let’s just not think about that right now and focus on today. Clayton Kershaw will take the mound as the Padres will counter with Jhoulys Chacin at 1:10 PM. Opening day is always a fun day. It’s like a big party in case some of you have never been. Dodger Stadium does it up right with marching and chowder societies galore.
I’m not going to compare this year’s Dodgers to the 1988 club as Oscar has done; all I am going to do is sit back and watch this year and hopefully provide all of you a different perspective than your used too. All I will say is this, don’t worry about this game. Sure it’s nice to win on opening day, but even if the Dodgers don’t win remember that it’s just one game and there are 161 left to play. The season is long.
Dodgers Lineup vs. San Diego
Toles LF
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Gonzalez 1B
Forsythe 2B
Pederson CF
Grandal C
Puig RF
Kershaw P
San Diego Lineup @ Dodgers
Margot CF
Myers 1B
Solarte 2B
Renfroe RF
Schimpf 3B
Hedges C
Aybar SS
Chacin P
Jankowski LF
Jhouly Chacin vs. Clayton Kershaw – Game Time – 1:10 PM – TV – SNLA
Your #Dodgers' #OpeningDayLA lineup:
Toles LF
Seager SS
Turner 3B
González 1B
Forsythe 2B
Pederson CF
Grandal C
Puig RF
Kershaw P pic.twitter.com/P5zNpkBZbC— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 3, 2017
Don’t worry about the Giants because they are not that good. Don’t worry about Washington, or even the Cubs. The first step the Dodgers have to make is winning the NL West, and 90 wins should just about do it again. The Dodgers will get to that mark, trust me. I would prefer it be as easy as possible. But it never is.
There will be times when we are frustrated as hell. Players will get hurt, the Dodgers will lose and you will think that this team stinks. You will think that the club is going nowhere. I will too and Oscar will have to talk me off the ledge. Kike Hernandez is going to bat lead-off against every single left handed starting pitcher and it’s going to be horrible. He’ll bat well below .200 and you’ll want to scream in agony. Brandon McCarthy will be on the disabled list by May, and Andre Ethier should return in a few weeks and contribute.
Clayton Kershaw will have yet another Cy Young award season because he is awesome, and Corey Seager and Justin Turner will lead the offense. Kenley Jansen will be dominating and Sergio Romo will make you forget he was a Giant for nine years. Dave Roberts will be stoic, and Joc Pederson and Yasmani Grandal will each hit their 25 home runs. The next great Dodger stud prospect Cody Bellinger should arrive in town by September at the latest.
The Dodgers will win too and when the dust settles on October 1, they should be in the postseason and ready to play for a World Championship. However in order to overtake the Cubs they may need to acquire one more impact arm or bat. When I say impact, I don’t mean mediocre platoon player or injury riddled pitcher. I’m not talking about a Josh Reddick, or Mat Latos. I’m talking about on the level of Manny Machado, or Bryce Harper.
But you never know, maybe this is the year that they finally do it. If that Happens I will cry. This is the first season without Vin Scully, so it will be a strange one. We’ll certainly miss Vin’s beautiful dulcet voice and amazing stories. It won’t be the same. However while Vin is enjoying his retirement and spending time with his grandchildren we all should remember something. We may not have Vin this year, but we have each other. That’s all that counts.
Enjoy today’s game everybody. Ladodgerreport will always be here for you. I assure you we won’t retire for another 60 years at least. Go Blue!
How about that? Toles leadoff and Puig 8th!
Roberts said at the end of spring that Puig had not shown enough with his new approach yet to merit hitting higher in the order. I for one am not convinced that Toles will be a good leadoff hitter. He is noted for the fact that he attacks the first pitch. So does Corey. You need to be patient to be a leadoff hitter. We will see how it works out. And one other thing, Gonzo should not be in the 4 hole. He is a double play waiting to happen. Especially with the way they use the shift. Excited? Not really, just glad the season will finally be underway. Seen way too many opening days to get too worked up. Just glad that real baseball is now being played.
As long as your team doesn’t gack up a lead on Opening Day, it’s pretty much all good, and winning is always preferable to losing. The Cardinals gacked it up, but had the will and the home field advantage to win it. Not so for your favorite team north of Tehachapi Mountains.
I think Puig will get his shit back together and have a very productive year.
I have a lot of faith in the guy, more than I do in say Kike. I just hope he sticks with the plan and learns on the fly, same with Joc.
Michael
I think your right about Toles.
I don’t think that is his game now, and he is still learning how to hit, major league pitching.
I think Logan would be a better lead off guy, for the team right now.
Because he sees a lot of pitches, and he is more experienced,in the lead off position.
And I think Puig is good hitting eighth.
It will be less stressful for Puig, while he is trying to hit up the middle, and to the right side.
Baseball without Vinny will be strange. But the show must go on.
Scott you listed the SD pitcher hitting 8th. Looks like SD wants to try something new already.
Baseball is back!!!!!
Baseball for the first time in my lifetime without Vin Scully will be very strange indeed. But I plan to listen to the radio feed while I watch the game. I do not like Joe Davis, to me he is one of those guys who just drone on. He is too much like Joe Buck, and I cannot stand that guy. The Rockies lead announcer is another one like that. Blah Blah Blah……just a total homer. Vin told it like it was……I know Davis has pretty much an impossible task because no one can replace Vin. A couple of teams batted the pitcher 8th last year….can’t remember who, but it happened. Think the Gnats did it when the Mad Diaper pad pitched.
They usually bat a pitcher eighth, and a speedy player, ninth.
FYI
I also cannot stand listening to Joe Buck.
The combo of Orel and Davis is really a boring snooze fest. They are too much of the same announcer. Toss Joe Davis and at least put Nomar in there. You are exactly right, Joe Davis is a clone of Jack Buck, droning is a good description.
I’m on the fence as far as Toles at leadoff, but Forsythe there seems to be a waste of an RBI guy. Toles might very well surprise us, he’s a real athlete and he has shown the ability to make adjustments and excel (he flew thru each level of ball last year, yeah I know it is a whole different thing at the major league level, but don’t be surprised if Toles figures it out quickly, he does have the benefit of working with Ward as his hitting coach).
Gonzales batting 4th is really all about “who would do better”. While many think our batting line-up is pretty talented, I see our batting lineup as one with many holes in it. I’m not sold on Grandal has a consistent hitter at all, he is all about streaks, he either tears it up or stinks it up for weeks at a time, thus not a good candidate at all to use in the 4 spot. The best number four we have on the team is actually Turner.
Seager a perfect 2 or 3 hitter.
If the guys listed as the starters today, I go with
Toles, Seager, Forsythe, Turner, Gonzales, Joc, Grandal, Puig, Kershaw
If Puig and Joc show they can do something good on a consistent basis, then we are loaded and Roberts can have all sorts of fun with the lineup. We wait.
Great Start
Good at bat for Joc with that sac fly.
Michael
There you go, one big day for Joc!
I am very proud of Joc!
Great Job! Should have this one in the bag with Kershaw
Kid K on his game now….11 in a row!
Chase Dejong called up by the Mariners. 2 homers so far for the Dodgers, Grand salami for Joc. Turner 2 doubles and it is not even the 5th inning. Shades of last years opening day blow out….Kersh on the beam…..ERA is still 0.00 because the run was un earned. Corey having a rough day….9-1 in the 4th….SD looks like a AA team
Every player has gotten a hit today!
And Corey goes oppo, for the third HR!
With a 12-2 lead it would be a good time to put Hatcher in. No pressure, let him mop up.
Yup, you are right
Yep. Why waste an arm we may need tomorrow
Again, Hatcher does not disappoint especially when the bar is set so low for him. He’s just wasting a roster spot IMO.
Gas Can in to mop up….no pressure………
San Diego is kinda a AA team.
They are following Houston into the extreme tanking spiral.
Three Rule 5ers on the roster.
I was going to label them a AAA team. But AA paints the same picture. Looks like it’s going to be a long season for SD.
I think the fans will take it, in Philly the Sixer fans embraced the rebuild.
Bluto
I hope the Padres pitchers, are better then most AA, or AAA pitchers.
Because we have to be ready for the Rockies, and the Cubbies.
Richard is a pretty good pitcher when he is on his game. Throws a heavy ball with a lot of sink on it so he gets a lot of ground balls. Toles did not impress in the leadoff roll and that base running blunder was embarrassing. Lucky it was not a close game.