The Dodgers lost on Saturday in their final Arizona spring training game.
Dustin May was the starter, making his final appearance before the regular season. He took the loss and went 5 2/3 innings, which was the longest outing for any Dodgers starter this spring. May allowed four runs, three earned, to raise his final ERA this spring to 2.95.
Three of the runs came on a home run from Bobby Witt Jr. May hung a slider that backed up over the plate and Witt mashed it over the left field fence. In total, May struck out four and walked none.
May will start the second game of the season against the Diamondbacks on Friday. After posting a 4.50 ERA in six starts coming off of his Tommy John surgery last season, May will look to get back to his 2021 self when he posted a 2.74 ERA before the injury.
Michael Busch played well in his second spring game since being optioned. He went 2-4 while hitting his second home run and adding a double. The infielder found plenty of success at the plate, posting a .937 OPS in 13 games this spring.
Following the Freeway Series, Busch will report to Oklahoma City to begin the season. As a 25 year-old who already spent most of last year in Triple-A, Busch is major league ready, but is staying down to ensure he gets regular at-bats. He will very likely make his MLB debut this year.
Will Smith made his second start since returning from the World Baseball Classic. He went 1-2 before exiting the game, increasing his OPS this spring to .874 across seven games.
Andre Jackson pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief. He allowed two hits, a walk and an earned run while striking out two. Jackson’s ERA this spring now stands at 1.80 across 10 innings.
Opening Day roster
The Dodgers announced their 26-man roster following the game.
Will Smith and Austin Barnes are the two catchers, while Freddie Freeman, Miguel Vargas, Miguel Rojas and Max Muncy fill out the infield.
They’ll carry six outfielders, as Mookie Betts, Chris Taylor, Trayce Thompson, David Peralta, Jason Heyward and James Outman all made the roster. J.D. Martinez will be the designated hitter.
The starting rotation will consist of Julio Urías, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Noah Syndergaard, and Ryan Pepiot.
Lastly, the bullpen will be filled by Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Brusdar Graterol, Yency Almonte, Caleb Ferguson, Phil Bickford, Shelby Miller and Andre Jackson.
Tony Gonsolin, Daniel Hudson and Jimmy Nelson will all begin the season on the injured list, but may be activated within a few weeks of Opening Day.
The Dodgers are travelling back to Los Angeles to take on the Angels at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. Clayton Kershaw will be the starter, making his final appearance before the regular season. The Dodgers finished the Arizona portion of Spring Training with a 13-11 record.
