Dodgers Schedule 2020: Everything you need to know

The Los Angeles Dodgers will only play 60 games this season, but the schedule offers some fun match-ups.

It’s four months late, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are finally set to return to action on July 23 at Dodger Stadium against the San Francisco Giants at 7:08pm PT. It will be part of a nationally-televised event on ESPN to kick off the season.

As several teams shut down training facilities while awaiting results from coronavirus testing, Major League Baseball released the official schedule for the 2020 season.

In an attempt to reduce travel, the Dodgers will only play opponents from the National League West and American League West.

Let’s break down some key notes about the 60-game 2020 schedule.

Dodgers will play three exhibition games.

Before the regular season begins, the Dodgers will play three exhibition games at Dodger Stadium. They will play two games against Arizona on July 19-20, followed by one game against the Angels on July 21.

Dodgers will have earlier start times in 2020, but not many day games.

Without fans in attendance, many wondered if the Dodgers would push up their start times to accommodate younger fans, and it appears MLB heard those calls. The Dodgers will start most of their home night games at 6:40pm PT this season.

While night games will start earlier, there won’t be many afternoon games at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers will play the Giants twice at 1:10pm PT on July 25 and August 9, and those are the only two early afternoon home starts until September 27 against the Angels (12:10pm PT). They also have a 4:10pm PT start time against Seattle on August 18.

Dodgers will play an unbalanced schedule.

The Dodgers are set to play 40 games against National League West opponents: ten games each against the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks.

However, the home/away splits will not be evenly distributed. For example, the Dodgers will play seven of their ten games against the Giants at Dodger Stadium; they will play six of ten at home against the Rockies. Conversely, they will play seven of their ten games against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, and six of ten against the Padres in San Diego.

The remaining twenty games will be split among opponents in the American League West. They will play Houston four times (more on this in a minute), Oakland three times (all at home), Seattle four times (two home, two away), and Texas three times (all on the road).

The Dodgers will play the Houston Astros 4 times

While fans won’t get the opportunity to voice their displeasure of the Houston Astros in person, Dodger players will have a chance to exact some revenge on the field.

After opening with four games against the Giants, the Dodgers will play the sign-stealing Astros in Houston on July 28-29. The Astros will come to Los Angeles on September 12-13.

The Dodgers will play the Los Angeles Angels 6 times, including final series of season.

While the Freeway Series doesn’t create quite the same juice as other intra-city match-ups, such as the Yankees vs Mets, it is always fun to watch the natural team from Los Angeles face off against their counterparts in Anaheim.

The Dodgers will play the Angels six times this season, with their first match-up on the road from August 14-16. The Angels will come to Dodger Stadium to close out the season on September 25-27. Imagine if there is a pennant race at stake!

The Dodgers longest road trip will be 9 games.

Even over a 60-game schedule, there are a few long road trips on the Dodgers schedule. They will play their longest stretch away from home right at the beginning of the season with a nine-game swing that starts in Houston on July 28, travels through Arizona, and ends in San Diego on August 5.

Their longest homestand is 7 games from August 7 to August 13 against the Giants (3 games) and Padres (4 games).

Here is the full schedule.

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