The Los Angeles Dodgers (1-0, 1-0 home) host the Arizona Diamondbacks (0-1, 0-1 away) in Game 2 of the regular season opener between a pair of NL West foes. Los Angeles took care of the Diamondbacks in the opener, thumping Arizona 8-2.
Friday night’s first pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. EST inside the confines of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are favored on the moneyline (-195), and the over/under total is 7.5 runs.
What to Know – Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona plated runs in the first and second inning to pull ahead 2-0, but the bats went cold, and the Dodgers lineup heated up over the final seven innings of action. The Diamondbacks will look to even the series tonight and notch their first victory of the season.
Right-hander Merrill Kelly takes the ball for Arizona in Game 2. Kelly had a solid 2022 campaign, finishing the season with a 13-8 record, 3.37 ERA, and 177 strikeouts over 200.1 innings of work. The 34-year-old represented the United States in the World Baseball Classic earlier this spring.
The Diamondbacks boosted their offense coming into the season, trading for outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the offseason. The 29-year-old batted third in the season-opener, picking up a single in a 1-4 effort. Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno knocked in RBIs for Arizona.
What to Know – Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers picked up right where they left off last season, showcasing a stacked offensive lineup that provided production up and down the order. Los Angeles, one of the favorites in the NL to win the World Series, appears prime for another successful season on the diamond.
A welcoming sign on the mound will be starter Dustin May. The right-hander missed most of 2022 after recovering from Tommy John surgery. May is 8-8 in his career with a 3.26 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 143.2 innings on the hill.
Will Smith drove in four runs on three hits, and James Outman swatted his second career home run, driving in two, for the Dodgers. Freddie Freeman and David Peralta added two hits a piece for the hosts.
The Pick is In
Kelly saw limited action in the spring, throwing just seven innings for the D’backs while serving on Team USA in the WBC. Realistically, both Kelly and May will have short leashes earlier this season, leading to an expanded role for the bullpen in Friday’s tilt.
Arizona’s offense has the players at the top of the order that can produce runs, and Los Angeles is always going to be a threat to score a handful of runs in bunches per game given the quality of their lineup. Expect the Dodgers to score 5-6 runs in this one, capitalizing on Arizona’s bullpen, and the Diamondbacks to chip in 2-3 runs while May works the rust out to push this run total over.
The Pick: Dodgers/Diamondbacks O7.5 runs
