The Los Angeles Dodgers begin their quest for a seventh consecutive National League West title and their third straight trip to the World Series with an Opening Day matchup at Dodger Stadium against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
And for the first time since Vicente Padilla in 2010, the Dodgers have someone other than Clayton Kershaw on the mound Opening Day. With Kershaw unable to build up in time after suffering from shoulder inflammation, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts named Hyun-Jin Ryu his starter for the season opener.
Though, that came after a process of elimination. Walker Buehler was slow-played and therefore also unavailable, and when Roberts was deciding between Rich Hill and Ryu, Hill was diagnosed with a strained MCL in his left knee.