I T F D B
Yes, it is truly Time For Dodger Baseball.
I am sorry, but I find it hard to get all excited about a regular season two game series against the Cubs in Japan, just as I found it hard last year against the Padres in Korea. It doesn’t feel like a regular season game when it starts at 3:00 AM PDT. It doesn’t feel like a regular season game while the other 28 still have more than a week of ST remaining.
Following Game 2, the Dodgers will have 3 days off before they have play three more exhibition games against the Halos. So the team has to travel 5,478 miles to get the regular season adrenalin flowing, only to bring it back down for three meaningless games against LAA, and then have to ramp back up to face Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers in the “true” opening game season.
Contrary to some who think otherwise, I am not stupid. I totally acknowledge why the game is being played in Japan. I also understand why it is the Dodgers and the Cubs who are playing the opening game series. Five Japanese players are privileged to return home and play in front of their home country’s fans. How proud the Japanese baseball fans will be when two top Japanese pitchers will face off against each other in Game 1 in the Tokyo Dome. Yoshinobu Yamamoto faces off against the Cubs LHSP Shota Imanaga, and both pitchers will be amped up. The Dodgers will start 23 year old Japanese RHSP, Roki Sasaki, for Game 2.
The first MLB hitter of the season will be Japanese Icon, Shohei Ohtani. The Cubs will have their own Japanese DH, Seiya Suzuki.
I am sure there will be Cubs fans in the Tokyo Dome, but I bet the vast majority of fans will be rooting for Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers.
As I am writing this I do not know who the 26 man roster will be, or who the three exempt players are. I am sure we will wake up for the game and find out who is on the 26 man. There is virtually no chance that Blake Snell nor Tyler Glasnow will be expected to pitch on Tuesday or Wednesday, and should be 2 of the 3 on the exempt list. We know for sure that Roki Sasaki will be added to the 26 man before Game 2, and a 40 man roster spot will be needed. We know that Hunter Feduccia has already been optioned, leaving one other position player to be optioned. I suspect that player will be James Outman.
If Glasnow and Snell are indeed added to the three man exempt list, that will leave one more. The Dodgers will have a couple of other NRI options to add to the 26 man. I figure it will come down to 2 of Nick Frasso, Luis Garcia, and Matt Sauer. Do they option Frasso and pick up the contracts for Luis Garcia and Matt Sauer? It will not be an issue adding two to the 40 man. They have plenty 60 Day IL candidates.
So I will wake up at 3:00 AM to watch the Dodgers face off against the Cubs in what will be the formal opening day of the 2025 season. But I will defer making any of my overall annual team comments and predictions until the Dodgers host Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers at home on Thursday, March 27 at 4:10 PM. For me, that will be the true opening day.
Crochet is going to win the ALCY going away.
No he isn’t.
Well I was wrong. Not the first, and certainly not the last. The Dodgers announced the 26 man roster. It includes 13 position players, 12 pitchers, and one two-way player. Outman did make the 26 man. Pitchers does include Luis Garcia. The pitching staff includes: Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius, Jack Dreyer, Luis Garcia, Landon Knack, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Justin Wrobleski, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Kirby Yates.
Two players will need to be optioned once Snell and Glasnow are added back to the 26 man before the Detroit game.
To make room for Sasaki and Garcia on the 40 man, Brusdar Graterol and Michael Grove were place on the 60 Day IL.
With a number of pitchers on the 15 day IL, I suspect this roster will change when Phillips, Kopech, and Gonsolin are due back.
The only prediction I have is that Busch will homer at least once in the two games.
Probably the only one on here that’s really looking forward to the game today.
Guessing that Edman hits second in Mookie’s absence. Be interesting to see how they manage Will’s workload this season. He was definitely running on fumes in the second half of 24, and has been nursing a slow healing injury already this season. They have another 9 years committed to him, and he also has had a number of concussions. I think we’ll see a lot more of Barnes in the regular season, hopefully saving Will for a deep post season run, bearing in mind he caught every pitch in our WS run last year.
10.10am start for me is perfect.
Opening day! Great day no matter where they play!For me it is officially spring now !
We are on vacation in Italy at the moment and internet connection is rather fragile in our vacation home so I hope to catch at least parts of the game today and tomorrow. Will be 11 am here, I will be sipping on my Espresso sitting on the porch watching Dodger baseball. Can not get any better !
Quesion: What happend to that prospect game they had scheduled for last week that originally was rained out. Did they play the game after all ?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They did not play that prospects game, which sucks.
Today’s Opening Day because, well, because it is. The game counts, regardless of where it is of what time it is.
Nice games by both Yamamoto and Imanaga.
Some friends and I were discussing who has the filthiest stuff on our starting staff. I said it has to be Yamamoto or Dustin May (when fully healthy). Nobody was really wrong in their choices, but also nobody mentioned Tyler Glasnow.
Yay!! Dodgers Win!!
Dodgers win…..Dodgers win……
no problem…..Yamamoto looked great and the 4 relievers didn’t allow a hit. What a bullpen….if they can stay healthy, oh my…..glad to see Ohtani get two hits and score two runs. I’m sure the “home folks” loved that. I’m also sure they loved seeing the two Japanese pitchers throw shut outs for their combined 9 innings. The only bummer for them was seeing Suzuki go 0-4.
On to game 2…..