Dodgers want to be 'relentless' as lineup. Opening Day was promising

There are a lot of adjectives that can be used to describe this year’s star-studded Dodgers lineup. But after seeing it in action for the first time, “relentless” was the one that popped into Dave Roberts’ head. “It’s a relentless lineup,” Roberts proudly declared Thursday night, in the wake of an 8-2 Opening Day rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks that kicked off the Dodgers’ pursuit of a third -straight World Series title. “Man, we just grinded at-bats,” Roberts also added. “As long as we can be disciplined like we were tonight, we should have opportunities to put up big numbers.” Big numbers, of course, are to be expected from these Dodgers and their $400 million payroll. Even after back-to-back World Series titles, both Roberts and general manager Brandon Gomes said this year’s team might be the best they have assembled. Still, during last year’s championship run, the offense scuffled down the stretch and throughout much of the playoffs. The Dodgers suffered prolonged slumps and extended lulls. Their top-heavy lineup was prone to strikeouts and a lack of compete as a group. “When we got into that funk, I think we got a little too overanxious,” Roberts said. “([We)] were really not grinding at-bats.” Thus, this winter, the team tried to renew relentlessness as its defining offensive characteristic. It started with the$240 million signing of Kyle Tucker , in which the Dodgers splurged on his ability to work counts, get on base and provide more contact in the lineup. But internally, they preached the importance of a more consistent, connected, team-wideteamwide approach, too. “Just knowing people behind you are more than capable ([of also contributing)] … I think that will affect the entire group,” Roberts said. Indeed, on Thursday, the Dodgers didn’t need individual heroics from any one player –– though Andy Pages and Will Smith came closest with two hits, a home run and three RBIsRBI each. Instead, the strength of the team’s offense was borne from that relentless identity. Eight players combined for 10 hits. All nine starters reached base safely. There were more combined walks (five) than strikeouts (four). And in the night’s biggest turning point, it was the bottom of the lineup that helped flip the game. “We can start it from anywhere in the lineup,” Betts said. “That’s the beauty of us, and why we’re tough to beat.” Just look at what happened to Arizona starter Zac Gallen, who quickly came unraveled in a four-run fifth inning. Up to that point, the right-hander had been cruising, protecting a 2-0 lead while allowing just one hit. In the bottom of the fourth, he’d navigated the top of the Dodgers’ order for a second time without issue, reaching the stage where most other lineups would allow him to catch his breath. These Dodgers, however, grant no respite or relaxation. Their star power is so deep, they have a pair of two-time All-Stars batting sixth and seventh. That’s where Thursday’s fifth inning began, with Max Muncy leading off with a one-hop base hit and Teoscar Hernández following with a swinging-bunt single. Then came the big blast, a go-ahead three-run home run from Pages against a curveball that Gallen let catch a little too much plate. “It certainly has to be taxing when you’re facing our guys, and when you feel like you have to be perfect,” Roberts said. “I do think that pitchers spend so much energy into navigating the first five or six hitters, there’s a cost to that, and it sort of bleeds into the bottom part of the order.” The Dodgers weren’t done there, either. They tacked on again in the fifth, grinding one at-bat after another to load the bases –– via a Miguel Rojas single and walks from Ohtani and Freddie Freeman –– before eventually scoring on an infield hit from Smith. A similar sequence played out during another four-run rally in the eighth. Tucker collected his first Dodgers hit on an RBI double in the gap. Betts drove him home with an RBI single up the middle. Then Smith uncorked the knockout blow with a two-run homer to left-center. “I mean, I feel like we have the potential to do this every game,” Betts said. “(Gallen) was really kind of cruising. And then I don’t even remember what happened. A couple good at-bats here, a couple good at-bats there, and then we got him on the ropes, and we were able to push through.” Consider it the kind of relentless, star-powered blueprint the Dodgers will be aiming to replicate over the course of the year. “It’s kind of how we structured this lineup,” Roberts added. “It’s hard to poke holes in.” Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters California Post News : Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , X , YouTube , WhatsApp , LinkedIn California Post Sports Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , YouTube , X California Post Opinion California Post Newsletters : Sign up here! California Post App : Download here! Home delivery : Sign up here! Page Six Hollywood : Sign up here!