The Dodger Stadium setting was a familiar one. So too were the lofty expectations that hovered over the Los Angeles Dodgers when they took the field Thursday afternoon for an Opening Day matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
A prohibitive favorite to win a seventh consecutive National League West title, the Dodgers are also among the top choices to at minimum reach the 2019 World Series. It would mark their third consecutive trip to the Fall Classic, which few teams in MLB history have accomplished.
And while the Dodgers appeared to suffer from a hangover of defeat on Opening Day last season, there was no such feeling in a 12-5 thumping of the Diamondbacks.