ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
HERE TO STAY: The Dodgers begin their 66th season in Los Angeles with the first of four against the Diamondbacks tonight at 7:10 p.m. It will be their first time opening the season at home in three years, since bouncing the San Francisco Giants, 8-1 in 2020. This will be the third time in the franchise history that they will host the Diamondbacks on Opening Day and are 2-0 against Arizona with wins in 1999 (8-6) and 2019 (12-5). The Dodgers are 4-0 against the D-Backs on Opening Day, including wins in 2003 (8-0) and 2014 (3-1) at Chase Field. After the game tonight, the Dodgers will matchup up with their division rivals three more times before they welcome in the Colorado Rockies on Monday night at 7:10 p.m. The Los Angeles Dodgers are 36-29 on Opening Day since 1958 and are 11-3 in their last 14 Opening Day tilts. Entering the 2023 season, only three teams in the Majors that have posted a better mark on Opening Day than the Dodgers:
Team W-L (Pct)
New York Mets 40-21 (.656)
Chicago Cubs 81-65 (.551)
San Francisco Giants 75-63 (.547)
Los Angeles Dodgers 72-60 (.545)
EL REY: Julio UrÃas will make his first career Opening Day start this evening after leading team Mexico into the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic this Spring. The Culiacan, Mexico native will become the 12th Mexican-born pitcher to start Opening Day, joining Fernando Valenzuela (6 times), Yovani Gallardo (6), Rodrigo López (3), Teddy Higuera (3), Óliver Pérez (2), Francisco Cordova (2), Jorge De La Rosa 2),
Esteban Loaiza (1), Armando Reynoso (1), Marco Estrada (1) and Ismael Valdéz (1). He will be the second Mexican-born Dodger in franchise history to start Opening Day, joining Valenzuela and is the first in the Majors since Marco Estrada in 2017.
vs. ARI: The Dodgers have dominated the Diamondbacks of late, going 14-5 last season, including a 7-2 record at Dodger Stadium against the Snakes. Since the start of the 2020 season, the Dodgers are 38- 10 against the Diamondbacks with a 19-3 mark at Dodger Stadium. According to Sportradar, the Dodgers record against the Diamondbacks is the best record against a division opponent since 2020:
Team Opponent Division W-L Pct
Dodgers vs Diamondbacks NL West 38-10 .792
Phillies vs Nationals NL East 36-12 .750
Mariners vs Rangers AL West 35-13-1 .729
Giants vs Diamondbacks NL West 34-14 .708
Braves vs Nationals NL East 34-14 .708
Rays vs Orioles AL East 34-14 .708
IT FELTLIKE YESTERDAY: The Dodgers finished the Spring Training slate, dropping their last two-games to the Halos and finishing the campaign with a 14-13-4 record. Freddie Freeman finished the Spring with a .316 batting average and three homers while James Outman led the boys with a team-best 15 hits, eight extra-base hits and 11 RBI (tied with Freeman).
HISTORY LESSON: Last season, the Dodgers became just the seventh team in Major League Baseball history to record 110+ wins in a season and their 111 wins ranks second all-time in National League history, behind only the 1906 Chicago Cubs (116). Additionally, the Dodgers have recorded 323 wins in their last three full seasons (2019, 2021-22), which became a Major League record for a three-year span, surpassing the Cubs, who recorded 322 wins from 1906-1908
TONIGHT’S STARTER LHP JULIO URĺAS (17-7, 2.16 ERA in 31 GS in 2022)
2023 NOTES:
• Southpaw looks to make his first career Opening Day start
• Garnered a 1-1 record over three starts in Cactus League play, producing a 3.86 ERA (5 ER/11.2 IP) with six strikeouts against just three walks
• Last pitched on March 24 against Milwaukee, allowing four runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings work with one strikeout and three walks
• Key participant in the World Baseball Classic for Team Mexico, firing 9.0 innings in two starts against Colombia in pool play and Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals…struck out nine batters and walked three while allowing just one earned run on two hits
VS. D-BACKS:
• Last faced the club on Sept. 22, 2022 in his last regular season start at Dodger Stadium, where he fired 5.1 scoreless frames and struck out five batters…gave up three hits in 21 batters faced • In his career, he owns a stellar 7-1 record with a 1.38 ERA (8 ER/52.0 IP) with 47 strikeouts in 11 games (eight starts) against the Snakes
CAREER NOTES:
• The Culiacan native enters his eighth season after earning his place in Dodger lore by recording final outs to close the club’s 2020 World Championship…has posted 49-17 record with four saves and a 2.82 ERA in 137 games (101 starts) in seven Major League seasons with Los Angeles…owns a 1.09 WHIP with 593 career strikeouts
• Earned his first ERA title in 2022 after leading the National League with a 2.16 ERA, becoming the first Mexican born pitcher to accomplish
the feat
• Has been awarded the Warren Spahn Award for two straight years (2021-22), which is awarded to the best left-handed pitcher in baseball who is best in wins, ERA, and strikeouts
• Propelled the Dodgers to their 2020 championship, going 4-0 with one save and a 1.17 ERA (3 ER/23.0 IP) in six Postseason games (two starts)…closed out clinching games of both the NLCS and World Series, with 3.0 perfect innings in NLCS Game 7 to earn the win and picked up the save in World Series Game 6 with four strikeouts in 2.1 clean frames without a baserunner
• Has been at his best in the Postseason during the course of his career, going 8-3 with one save and 3.68 ERA (24 ER/58.2 IP) in 23 Postseason games (six starts)…has limited opponents to a .209 average with a 0.99 WHIP
• In 101 career starts he has gone 45-15 with a 2.91 ERA (172 ER/532.2 IP), while going 4-2 with a 2.15 ERA (16 ER/67.0 IP) in 36 relief
appearances
• Was named to the 2021 and 2022 All-MLB Second Team, after posting double-digit wins in both seasons
• Made his MLB debut on May 27, 2016 with a start against the Mets, allowing three runs on five hits in 2.2 innings in a no-decision…was the 34th Dodger to make his MLB debut as a teenager since the club joined the National League in 1890 and first since Adrian Beltre, who made his debut on June 24, 1998 at the age of 19 years, 78 days…became the youngest Dodger starting pitcher at 19 years, 289 days, since Dick Calmus, who took the mound at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 23, 1963 vs. Milwaukee at 19 years, 228 days…also became the youngest Dodger to make his debut as a starting pitcher since Rex Barney (18 years, 242 days on his debut vs. Chicago-NL on Aug. 18, 1943) – Source: Stats, LLC.
• Collected his first big league win on June 28, 2016 at Milwaukee, allowing two runs on two hits in 6.0 innings and struck out six batters
• Became the youngest Dodger pitcher ever to appear in a postseason game at 20 years, 62 days in 2016 NLDS Game 5 against the Nationals, allowing just one hit in 2.0 innings of relief and recorded the win…became the youngest starting pitcher in MLB postseason history in the 2016 NLCS Game 5 against the Cubs at 20 years, 68 days, allowing four runs on four hits in 3.2 innings and recorded the loss
• Became the 4th Mexican-born pitcher with a 20-win season in 2021, joining Estaban Loaiza (21 W, 2003 CWS), Fernando Valenzuela (21 W, 1986 LAD) and Teddy Higuera (20 W, 1986 MIL)…also one of eight Mexican-born pitchers to start a game for the Dodgers, joining Fernando Valenzuela, Ismael Valdez, Elmer Dessens, Esteban Loaiza, Dennys Reyes, Vicente Romo and Victor Alvarez
• Named 2014 Dodgers’ Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year and was also selected to the World Team for the 2014 XM All-Star Futures Game, becoming the youngest-ever player to participate in the contest at the age of 17
• Signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent on Aug. 17, 2012
2022 NOTES:
• Produced a 17-7 record across 31 starts for a 2.16 ERA (42 ER/175.0 IP) with 166 strikeouts against just 41 walks…put out a 0.96 WHIP, his lowest mark since 2019 and did not deliver a wild pitch for the second time in his career (also 2018)
• Limited hitters to a .199 average, his lowest output since 2018…kept hitters to a .251 OBP, .347 SLG, and .615 OPS and totaled a 8.54 K/9
• Ranked amongst the National League best in several categories: wins (3rd, 17), ERA (2nd, 2.16), opponents average (6th, .199), WHIP (6th, 0.96), and win percentage (8th, .708)…was named to his second All-MLB Second Team and second year in the row
• Posted a strong second half record, going 9-1 in his final 13 starts of the year with a 0.88 WHIP and 1.26 ERA (11 ER/96.2 IP) paired with 72 strikeouts…went 4-0 in five starts in July, striking out 27 and walking just four en route to a 2.89 ERA (9 ER/28.0 IP)…later in August, also recorded a 3-0 mark in five starts to a 1.19 ERA (4 ER/30.1 IP) and 0.99 WHIP
• Started Game 1 of the NLDS, securing the Dodgers only win of the Postseason…pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts
