Dodgers reveal order of starting rotation ft. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto

With Opening Day game against the Detroit Tigers less than 24 hours away, the LA Dodgers have fixed their five-man starting pitcher rotation.

Blake Snell, who signed a five-year, $182 million contract in the offseason, gets the nod to start Thursday for the Dodgers' home opener. He faces rival southpaw and reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal on the other end.

For the second game of the series, the Dodgers will turn to Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who will take the mound on Friday. He had pitched in Game 1 of the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs, which the Dodgers won 4-1. Yamamoto pitched five innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, one walk and four strikeouts.

On Saturday, rookie Roki Sasaki will be on the mound for the Dodgers against the Tigers, in the third and final game of the series. Sasaki had pitched in Game 2 of the Tokyo Series against the Cubs, which the Dodgers won 6-3. Sasaki pitched three innings, allowing one hit, five walks and three strikeouts.

This matchup will be followed by a break on Sunday.

On Monday, the Dodgers start a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. Tyler Glasnow, who missed last year's postseason run, will take the mound to start against the Braves on Monday. Before going down with an elbow injury, Glasnow started a career-high 22 games, pitching 134 innings and striking out 168 hitters.

On Tuesday, the Dodgers will have Dustin May on the mound for the second game of the series against the Braves. May last pitched in May 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, followed by a near-death experience in 2024 where he was forced to undergo emergency esophagus surgery.

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Dodgers' projected Opening Day lineup ft. Shohei Ohtani

The Dodgers received a positive update on former MVP and starting shortstop Mookie Betts, who played in the spring training finale against the Angels. He played five innings and made three plate appearances.

Betts had missed the Tokyo Series due to stomach illness, which saw him lose over 20 pounds. But he has been able to hold down solid food in the last couple of days and is raring to go for the home opener. Therefore, he will take back his place in the lineup from Miguel Rojas, who filled in during the Tokyo Series.

Here's the starting lineup:

1. DH Shohei Ohtani L
2. SS Mookie Betts R
3. 1B Freddie Freeman L
4. RF Teoscar Hernandez R
5. C Will Smith R
6. LF Enrique Hernandez R
7. 3B Max Muncy L
8. 2B Tommy Edman S
9. CF Andy Pages R