Opening Day, 3/29/18... Giants at Dodgers

Dodgers' title trek begins anew behind Kershaw
By Ken Gurnick MLB.com
Mar. 28th, 2018

The Dodgers open the season tonight determined to return to the World Series, while the Giants are focused on returning to contention.

The historic rivalry resumes at Dodger Stadium with clean slates, although the pitching matchup reflects the apparent differences in clubs that finished 40 games apart last year.
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For the National League pennant-winning Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw makes his eighth consecutive Opening Day appearance, although it could be the last as his opt-out year unfolds. The Giants' starter is Ty Blach by default, because Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija are injured. Kershaw has 144 Major League wins. Blach has nine, but he also has multiple Opening Day starts -- in the Minor Leagues.

"Obviously, the circumstances are tough losing Bum," Blach said. "But it's an honor to be able to go out there and get that nod and give everything I've got." Manager Bruce Bochy chose Blach as the path of least resistance.

"Instead of disrupting three guys, Ty falls in that slot," Bochy said. "Keeps it easier for everybody. The other guys, we'll just keep them on schedule."

If the Dodgers reported to Spring Training still stinging about falling one win short in the World Series, the mindset has shifted from looking back to ahead, as manager Dave Roberts explained.

"Obviously we didn't finish what we started last year and it's virtually the same group," said Roberts. "But I think the focus still has been on 2018 and not kind of really put too much thought into what did or didn't happen last year. Obviously, it's in our minds, but the focus is this year and the group of guys we have."

The Dodgers take the field without Justin Turner, who fractured his left wrist last week. But president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said his team is ready to go anyway. Logan Forsythe slides to third from second, where Enrique Hernandez and Chase Utley split time. After a relatively quiet offseason, the only new face in the lineup is an old one -- Matt Kemp. The starting rotation returns intact and Kenley Jansen is still the big man in the bullpen.

While Kershaw is 22-9 with a 1.60 ERA lifetime against the Giants, those Giants didn't have Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria, their two biggest offseason acquisitions. San Francisco's starting pitching will be challenged, but adding McCutchen and Longoria to a lineup that already includes Buster Posey, Hunter Pence and Brandon Crawford will keep Kershaw busy.

Three things to know about this game

• The Dodgers haven't won a World Series since 1988, but to commemorate the 30th anniversary of that miracle, as well as the 60th anniversary of the franchise arrival from Brooklyn, Kirk Gibson will throw out the first pitch on Thursday. Gibson, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2016, is making the appearance to raise money and awareness for his foundation, which is dedicated to the battle against the disease.

• The last time the Dodgers and Giants played on Opening Day was in 2013, when Kershaw threw a four-hit shutout and homered in a 4-0 win. This is the 12th season opener between the clubs since they moved west in 1958. The Giants are 6-5 in the previous 11.

• The Giants believe their bullpen is much improved with the addition of ex-Dodger Tony Watson and right-hander Hunter Strickland's new slider, taught to him by Hall of Famer John Smoltz. They got together because they have the same agent (Myles Shoda).