Opening day notes and Dodgers lineup
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Matt Kemp spent most of the spring batting second, but was penciled into the No. 5 spot by Manager Joe Torre for opening day.
‘Matty’s a 100-RBI guy,’ Torre said.
In addition, Torre said he wanted to bat Russell Martin second because he is 7 for 15 lifetime against Pirates starter Zach Duke.
The moves paid off immediately; Martin walked on four pitches, and three batters later Kemp singled him and Andre Ethier home, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. That advantage didn’t last long, though, as the Pirates’ Garrett Jones homered in the bottom of the first, tying the score at 2-2.
Here’s the Dodgers’ lineup:
Rafael Furcal SS
Russell Martin C
Andre Ethier RF
Manny Ramirez LF
Matt Kemp CF
James Loney 1B
Casey Blake 3B
Blake DeWitt 2B
Vicente Padilla RHP
Other notes:
- Ramon Troncoso returned home for the birth of his daughter on Sunday. He is expected back on Tuesday.
- The Dodgers placed Cory Wade on the disabled list and replaced him on the active roster with Russ Ortiz, whose contract they purchased.
- The Dodgers’ opening-day roster includes four players who went into camp on minor-league contracts (Russ Ortiz, Ramon Ortiz, Jeff Weaver and Garret Anderson) and one Rule 5 pick (Carlos Monasterios).
-- Dylan Hernandez in Pittsburgh