Dodgers Dugout: The Dodgers will win the NL West again

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and here we are at another Opening Day.

The Dodgers will win the NL West again this year.

Yes, I know, a lot can happen in a long season. Injuries. Maybe someone has a horrible season. Kenley Jansen as closer doesn’t inspire 100% confidence. But it’s obvious the Dodgers are the best team in the division. Even my daughter Hannah, who knows very little about baseball, knows the Dodgers will win. Even her dog, Jack, knows.

But why will they win?

They are built for the long haul. They have eight starting pitchers on the roster. They have depth in the bullpen, with guys in the minors waiting to be shuttled back and forth to Los Angeles. They have Joe Kelly and Brusdar Graterol waiting in the wings, building up arm strength for an eventual return.

They have Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Justin Turner. Versatility in Chris Taylor and Zach McKinstry. You would have to expect better seasons from Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy. They have Gavin Lux, who seems motivated by what was basically a lost 2020 season. They have a great catcher duo in Will Smith and Austin Barnes. They have a steady veteran in AJ Pollock.

Of course, like I said, injuries could happen. Slumps can happen. Maybe Muncy doesn’t rebound from a relatively poor 2020. Maybe McKinstry can’t do the things Kiké Hernandez did. And the second-best team in the NL happens to reside in the same division as the Dodgers. But the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Of course, I’m not exactly Nostradamus in picking the Dodgers to win the West. Almost everyone else is too. There will be ups and downs along the way. I just can’t wait for the first three-game losing streak so I can get some emails about how bad this team is, how Andrew Friedman is clueless and how Dave Roberts doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Just remember, while you focus on the Dodgers’ negatives, keep in mind that every team has holes and negatives.

It’s going to be a fun ride, and as usual, this newsletter will be here all season to talk about what’s working and what’s not. For you newcomers, a new newsletter comes out the day each new series begins, though there will be a few extra editions the first two weeks as we conclude the “Greatest Dodgers moments” countdown.

So keep your arms and legs inside the newsletter at all times, and don’t remove your seatbelt until the season comes to a complete stop.

And don’t forget our new live blog, where Jorge Castillo and I bring you tidbits throughout each game. The first live blog, which will cover the entire Dodgers-Rockies series, starts Thursday morning and will be found here. Or you will always be able to go to latimes.com/sports and find it there.

The Opening Day roster

Here is the 26-man roster for opening day:

Catchers (2)
Austin Barnes
Will Smith

Infield (5)
Gavin Lux
Max Muncy
Edwin Ríos
Corey Seager
Justin Turner

Outfielders (2)
Mookie Betts
AJ Pollock

Infielders/Outfielders (4)
Matt Beaty
Cody Bellinger
Zach McKinstry
Chris Taylor

Starting Rotation (5)
Trevor Bauer
Walker Buehler
Clayton Kershaw
Dustin May
Julio Urías

Bullpen (8)
Scott Alexander
Tony Gonsolin
Victor González
Kenley Jansen
Corey Knebel
Jimmy Nelson
David Price
Blake Treinen

Another Opening Day start for Kershaw

Kershaw makes his ninth Opening Day start for the Dodgers, extending his record. A look at the most opener starts by pitchers:

Clayton Kershaw, 9
Don Sutton, 7
Don Drysdale, 7
Fernando Valenzuela, 6
Ramon Martinez, 5
Carl Erskine, 4
Van Lingle Mungo, 4
Nap Rucker, 4
Orel Hershiser, 4

Most Opening Day starts at other positions:

Catcher
Mike Scioscia, 10
Roy Campanella, 9
John Roseboro, 9
Steve Yeager, 8
Hank DeBerry, 6
Mike Piazza, 6
A.J. Ellis, 5
Al Lopez, 5
Mickey Owen, 5

First base
Gil Hodges, 12
Eric Karros, 9
Steve Garvey, 8
Jake Daubert, 8
Dolph Camilli, 6
Adrián González, 5
James Loney, 5
Wes Parker, 5

Second base
Davey Lopes, 7
Jim Gilliam, 6
Steve Sax, 6
George Cutshaw, 5
Charlie Neal, 5
Jackie Robinson, 5

Third base
Ron Cey, 9
Adrian Beltre, 5
Justin Turner, 5*

Shortstop
Pee Wee Reese, 14
Bill Russell, 11
Maury Wills, 10
Corey Seager, 6*
Rafael Furcal, 5

Left Field
Zack Wheat, 16
Dusty Baker, 7
Wally Moon, 4

Center Field
Willie Davis, 11
Duke Snider, 10
Hi Myers, 8
Brett Butler, 6
Ken Landreaux, 6
Matt Kemp, 5

Right Field
Carl Furillo, 10
Harry Lumley, 7
Andre Ethier, 6
Mike Marshall, 5
Raul Mondesi, 5
Yasiel Puig, 5
Dixie Walker, 5

*-assumes an opening day start today.

Speaking of Kershaw....

He will be making his 355th start for the Dodgers. Here’s the lineup for his first game on May 25, 2008 against the St. Louis Cardinals:

Juan Pierre, LF
Luis Maza, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Russell Martin, C
James Loney, 1B
Matt Kemp, CF
Blake DeWitt, 3B
Chin-lung Hu, SS

Maza had only 79 at-bats with the Dodgers, with his only homer coming in this game. Hu had only 193 at-bats and hit .176.

Up next

Series
Dodgers (43-17 last season) vs. Colorado Rockies (26-34)

Games
All times Pacific
Today: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 6-2, 2.16 ERA last season) at Colorado (German Márquez, 4-6, 3.75), 1 p.m., Sportsnet LA, ESPN
Friday: Dodgers (Trevor Bauer, 5-4, 1.73) at Colorado (Antonio Senzatela, 5-3, 3.44), 5:30 p.m., Sportsnet LA
Saturday: Dodgers (Walker Buehler, 1-0, 3.44) at Colorado (Jon Gray, 2-4, 6.69), 5 p.m., Sportsnet LA, FS1
Sunday: Dodgers (*Julio Urías, 3-0, 3.27 ERA) at Colorado (*Austin Gomber, 1-1, 1.86), Noon, Sportsnet LA
*-Left-handed

And finally

Wes Parker homers in the 1965 World Series. Watch it here.