Dave Roberts’ Takeaways From Opening Day Loss

The Dodgers dropped their season opener on Thursday, getting shutout 1-0 by the Giants. While there were plenty of questions surrounding the strike zone, Los Angeles simply couldn’t put enough balls into play to take the game. Dave Roberts had plenty to say about their performance in the post-game conference.

Clayton Kershaw had a pretty unlucky night

Kershaw did not look like his usual dominant Opening Day self, that much is certain. But he was hurt by soft contact and questionable calls all night. Kershaw gave up two singles to lead off the game, and they were both soft hit bloopers. In fact, only two of the eight hits he allowed were solid contact. Even Joe Panik’s home run was on…well, a panic swing. It looked almost as if he were trying to fight off a pitch to stay alive. All in all, he had a great game by every other pitcher’s standards. He only allowed one run in 6 innings and worked around heavy traffic all game. Kershaw standard are much different though.

Ty Blach is a  nuisance and Kershaw should have hit third

Obviously Clayton Kershaw hitting third in the lineup is mostly a joke. Blach only gave up 3 hits, and two of them came from Kershaw. Blach has truly done some amazing work against the Dodgers in the past, and it seems like they bring out the best in him. Before Opening Day, Blach was 2-2 with a career 2.23 earned run average against Los Angeles. Nothing quite like a fiery rivalry to bring out the best in a young pitcher.

The Bullpen made the game less depressing

Gotta give credit where credit is due. I am guilty of being one of the many doubters of the Dodgers’ bullpen heading into 2018. After losing Brandon Morrow to the Cubs and Tony Watson to the Giants, a waiver wire pickup did not seem like a great option. And yet J.T. Chargois gave us all a pleasant surprise along with Tony Cingrani and Josh Fields. Together they combined for 3 innings of perfect work. The three stuck out 4 batters and did not allow a single base runner. Hopefully that trio is a sign of things to be in 2018.

The Dodgers will send Alex Wood to the mound tonight to face off against Johnny Cueto. The Dodgers have been very average against Cueto over the past three years, as he owns a 3.99 era. The Giants have owned Alex Wood over the past three years though, as he has a 4.68 era over the past three seasons against them. Look for him and the offense to rebound in a big way tonight.