Dodgers top Diamondbacks

LA’s offense starts hot on chilly opening night

LOS ANGELES — Will Smith went 3 for 5 and drove in three runs, James Outman homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-2 on Thursday night in their season opener.

Julio Urías (1-0), last year’s NL ERA leader at 2.16, got the victory in his first career opening-day start. The lefthander allowed four hits and two runs in six innings. He struck out six.

All three of Smith’s hits went to right field in a game that lasted 2 hours, 35 minutes under new rules this season designed to speed things up.

The game-time temperature was 55 degrees — 15 degrees lower than Los Angeles’ average of 70 in March. Batting practice was rained out and the tarp covered the infield. But the clouds cleared before first pitch, revealing rare snow atop the San Gabriel Mountains that frame the outfield.

The Dodgers won a franchise-record 111 games last season only to lose to the rival San Diego Padres in their National League Division Series. They bid farewell to Trea Turner, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger in the offseason, helping make the roster a bit younger.

Outman is part of that youth movement, having made the opening-day roster off a strong spring showing. The 25-year-old center fielder hammered a two-run shot to left-center in the sixth, extending the lead to 7-2. Outman went 2 for 3 with three runs, a walk and a strikeout in his first career game at Dodger

Stadium.

Mookie Betts made the defensive play of the game in the sixth. Ketel Marte singled to right, Betts picked up the ball barehanded and in one motion made a two-hop throw to get Marte stretching at second.

The Dodgers broke open a 2-all game in the fifth. Smith had an RBI single, J.D. Martinez’s RBI single chased Zac Gallen, and David Peralta singled off Cole Sulser to give Los Angeles a 5-2 lead.

Gallen (0-1) gave up six hits and five runs in 4.2 innings. He struck out seven and walked three.

Arizona led 2-0 on Christian Walker’s RBI single in the first and Gabriel Moreno’s sacrifice fly in the second.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers RHP Ryan Pepiot (oblique strain) went on the injured list. Michael Grove will start in his place Monday.

UP NEXT

Arizona RHP Merrill Kelly starts Friday against RHP Dustin May of the Dodgers. Kelly began last season with a 15-inning scoreless streak. May went 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA in six games coming off Tommy John surgery in 2021.