LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers lineup for the home opener on Thursday against the Cardinals looks very familiar, because it’s the same starting lineup, with the same nine players at the same positions in the same order as they used in both games in Seoul, South Korea.
That includes Jason Heyward, who was scratched from Tuesday’s Freeway Series exhibition finale in Anaheim with lower back tightness. Heyward is playing right field and batting eighth, just as he did in the first two games of the regular season.
This marks the first time that the Dodgers position players were slotted in the same batting order for the first three games of the season since 2009. The Dodgers haven’t had all of their position players in the same batting order for any such stretch since a four-game streak from August 16-19, 2016.
The streak will almost certainly end on Friday night (an Apple TV+ game), when the Dodgers will face Cardinals left-hander Zack Thompson. But for now, on Thursday, they will face Miles Mikolas, the third consecutive right-handed starting pitcher on the other side.
Dodgers-Cardinals lineups
| Cardinals | Pos | Dodgers | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Pos | Dodgers | Pos |
| Donovan (L) | LF | Bettts | SS |
| Goldschmidt | 1B | Ohtani (L) | DH |
| Gorman (L) | 2B | Freeman (L) | 1B |
| Arenado | 3B | Smith | C |
| Contreras | C | Muncy (L) | 3B |
| Burleson (L) | DH | T.Hernández | LF |
| Walker | RF | Outman (L) | CF |
| Scott (L) | CF | Heyward (L) | RF |
| Winn | SS | Lux (L) | 2B |
Shohei Ohtani’s first game at Dodger Stadium as a Dodger has him in his familiar second spot in the batting order at designated hitter. Ohtani in his six years with the Angels hit .357/.457/.679 in 35 plate appearances at Chavez Ravine, with two triples, two doubles, a home run, and three walks.
Ohtani has two hits in three at-bats in his career against Mikolas.
Will Smith, fresh off signing his 10-year, $140 million contract with the Dodgers, bats cleanup, and on his 29th birthday to boot. Smith had five hits in 10 at-bats with a double and a walk in the two games in South Korea against the Padres.
“Will is one of the most dependable guys I’ve been around,” manager Dave Roberts said Thursday of his starting catcher. “The head, the preparedness, and then the performance. He’s prepared, and I can count on him.”
Freddie Freeman has the most career success against Mikolas among Dodgers batters, with five hits in 13 at-bats, including two home runs, a double, and a walk, hitting .385/.429/.923 against the right-hander.
Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow has only faced four current Cardinals position players in his career, none more than six plate appearances. Willson Contreras is 0-for-5 with a walk, Paul Goldschmidt is 1-for-2 with a walk, Brandon Crawford is 1-for-5 with a walk, and Matt Carpenter is 0-for-4 with two walks. Glasnow hasn’t faced any of these hitters since 2018, when he pitched for the Pirates.