James Outman hit the first home run and scored the first run of the season for the Dodgers. Will Smith had the first 2 RBIs, Julio Urias got the first win on the mound, and opening night was pretty much a total success.

Dodgers 8 D-Backs 2

Data suggested that Gallen would have been a tougher matchup than he ended up being. The Dodgers had 4 players in their lineup that had never faced Gallen, Outman, Vargas, Martinez, and Peralta, and, between those guys, they went 5 for 13 with a home run, 4 RBIs, and 5 runs scored, so they made hay. 

Of the Dodgers that had faced Gallen in the past, coming into last night they were a combined 5/38 (.131), and then went 7 for 21 last night, so it was a good night offensively for the Dodgers.

As a sidemode, being someone who covers the Dodgers prospects, all in all, with a team expecting World Series championships, having 4 rookies on the roster & 2 starting on opening day, is just about the best that could have been hoped for.

The two most glaring exceptions would be Michael Busch and Gavin Stone, in my opinion. I’ve said it several times now, but, the Dodgers need to find Busch 300 MLB at-bats, and Stone has earned the right to be with the MLB, but, other than that, it’s as good as it can be.

This isn’t Dodgers related, per se, but I wanted to open by congratulating Gus Varland for making his Major League Debut today with the Brewers. Varland was picked up in the Rule 5 Draft & was just recently told he made the opening day roster. Special Moment, and a great performance as he didn’t give up a run! Well done Gus!

Many didn’t think James Outman would make the opening-day roster, and, thankfully, they were wrong! Outman loves the big moment, is super talented, humble & grounded, and understands what makes him good. And, no one will outwork him!! Outman had a home run, a base hit, and scored 3 times, but his best at-bat of the night might have been when he drew his walk and scored the first run of the year for the Dodgers. He didn’t chase the zone and showed that he had control of his emotions and was locked in. 

Will Smith is one of the best hitters in the MLB at not chasing the zone, and he’s absolutely clutch. The matchup with Gallen was a great cat-and-mouse game because Gallen relies on hitters chasing the zone, and that’s something that Will Smith just simply doesn’t do, and Smith won that battle. Smith is a great hitter and hit .287 last year with runners in scoring position, OPS of .846. He is 2 for 2 tonight and drove in the Dodger’s first 2 runs.

David Peralta’s first base hit as a Dodger was a big one as it was an RBI knock that gave the Dodgers a 5-2 lead.  Peralta won the Silver Slugger Award in 2018 and the Gold Glove Award in 2019 & has spent his entire career starting in 2014 with the D-Backs, so you know last night was special for him. 

Do NOT run on Mookie Betts! That is ALL! Well, okay, not exactly. Betts struggled at the plate going 0-4, but, as all great players do, he still found a way to contribute. Click on the picture and check out the play he made to gun down Ketel Marte.

Here is the line for Julio Urias from last night. 6.0 Innings, 4 hits, 0 walks, 2 Earned Runs, and his WHIP was just 0.67 The D-Backs did a good job taking advantage of their opportunities when they had their chance early in the game, but as it does seemingly every time Urias takes the mound, the faucet shut off very quickly. Urias was 91-92 on the 4-Seam, 80 on the slurve, and 84-85 on the change.

Shelby Miller hasn’t allowed a run in his last 5 outings & has only allowed runs in 1 of his 8 outings this year. He seems like he’s turning a corner and is ready to contribute to the pen. Miller was 92-93 on the 4-Seam and threw his splitter twice, and slider 3 times.

Phil Bickford threw just 2 sliders and the rest were all 4-Seam fastballs that sat 93-94. Bickford has gone scoreless in 7 of his last 8 outings, so he’s looking more like his 2021 version.

What’s new? Yency Almonte went scoreless again for the 4th outing in a row and he’s only allowed runs in 2 outings since July 4th of last year!

Miguel Rojas had 2 hits to continue his very good offensive play in 2023. Rojas hit .283 in Spring Training, had an OPS of .831, and, last night, he was 2 for 4. Great players & leaders always make up for their mistakes as Rojas did last night after making his early error.

Tonight the Dodgers face Merrill Kelly. Kelly, like Gallen, was last night, is a 6 pitch pitcher, with his 4-seam being the pitch he throws the most.

But, not by much!

Kelly only throws his dominant pitch 29% of the time, so he mixes it up very well and will do a good job keeping the Dodgers hitter off balance. But, he only throws 2 of his pitches, his 4-seam and sinker for strikes more than 50% of the time, so he relies on hitters chasing the zone, something the Dodgers usually don’t do.

That has played a big factor in the success the Dodgers have had against him in the past as he has faced the Dodgers 12 times in his career and has allowed 42 runs in 63.1 innings which equates to a 5.99 ERA.

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