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Dodgers drop stacked Opening Day lineup with a few intriguing twists

By Thomas Carannante|
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 5; Trea Turner #6, Freddie Freeman #5 and Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers get ready in the dugout before a preseason game against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium on April 5, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 5; Trea Turner #6, Freddie Freeman #5 and Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers get ready in the dugout before a preseason game against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium on April 5, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

It’s here! The Los Angeles Dodgers have their Opening Day lineup set for their matchup against the Colorado Rockies on Friday.

LA dropped its 28-man Opening Day roster on Thursday, but now fans officially know who will be taking the field for the first official game of 2022. As expected, it’s packed to the gills with talent.

However … there are a few unexpected moves from manager Dave Roberts here. Justin Turner starting the year at DH? Max Muncy playing third base after coming off of a partially-torn UCL in October? Gavin Lux getting the Opening Day start at second base? Chris Taylor in left field — not exactly unexpected, but will he be playing there most of the season?

Nobody’s complaining, but kicking the year off with this certainly has us wondering what this lineup will look like on a nightly basis.

The Dodgers released their Opening Day lineup for their game against the Rockies

As for the status quo, Mookie Betts will lead off, followed by newcomer Freddie Freeman and then shortstop Trea Turner in the three-hole. The addition of Freeman has allowed the Dodgers to lengthen the lineup, with Justin Turner in the cleanup spot and Muncy hitting fifth. It also gives the offensive more flexibility with lefty bats, and the lineup ends with two in Lux and Cody Bellinger.

Are we going to see consistent, regular reps for Lux? Will Bellinger bounce back with the pressure off him toward the bottom of the lineup?

In the end, we’re going to see a lot of variation with the Dodgers’ lineup as the year goes by since all of Taylor, Muncy, Lux, Turner and Bellinger can play multiple positions. Roberts will take advantage of that flexibility as much as he can.

As for the pitching matchup, Walker Buehler will toe the mound and be going up against lefty Kyle Freeland, who has a career 3.90 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 20 starts against the Dodgers. On the flip side, Buehler is 7-2 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 22 games (18 starts) against Colorado in his career.

And there you have it! This is a potent enough lineup to avenge last year’s Opening Day loss at Coors Field. What do you say, fellas?

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