Diamondbacks crushed by Dodgers on Opening Day. What went wrong?

LOS ANGELES — The Diamondbacks suppressed the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Opening Day celebration through four innings on Thursday, but the game eventually got away from Arizona in an 8-2 defeat.

After a pregame ceremony dedicated to L.A.’s back-to-back championships, the D-backs quieted the buzzing crowd as pitcher Zac Gallen dealt early and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo crushed a two-run home run off Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the fourth inning.

The strong start did not last much longer, though.

By the seventh inning, Los Angeles had broken the game open with their second four-run inning of the ballgame, as a Will Smith home run off Taylor Clarke put the stamp on it.

The Diamondbacks made two outs on the bases and recorded one hit after the fourth inning in a game they will need to make sure was a lesson learned against a great team and not a tone setter.

“I think it was 2022, Seth Beer hit a walk-off home run on Opening Day. We didn’t make the playoffs. In 2023, we lost on Opening Day here. Went to the World Series. It’s one of those things,” Gallen said postgame.

“It’s one of 162. It’s a lot of fun. The boys are back again and getting to play and it’s exciting. But you’re not riding the wave. … Even though you might drop the first one, there’s still 161 more to play.”

Dodgers get to Zac Gallen eventually

Gallen’s final statline is an ugly four innings with four earned runs on five hits. Four runs in four innings was Gallen’s line on Opening Day last season against the Chicago Cubs, too.

The right-hander, however, was efficient through four shutout frames, having retired 12 of 13 batters.

The fifth inning got off to an unfortunate start, as a Max Muncy hard grounder got past second baseman Ketel Marte for a single and Teoscar Hernandez reached on a dribbler. With the table set, Andy Pages delivered the go-ahead, three-run home run on a curveball that did not quite get below the zone.

Gallen stayed in for two more hitters, who reached base on a hit and a walk before manager Torey Lovullo pulled his starter.

“I think it was a well-hit ball that squirted by Marte, part of the game, and then it’s a swinging bunt,” Lovullo said. “Zac’s got to be super fine. I don’t think anything really got away from him. Just one mistake, in my opinion, that ended up being a three-run homer. That was a big difference.”

An inherited run scored off reliever Juan Morillo, and Gallen’s book closed as Morillo stranded the bases loaded.

Gallen’s performance was a mixed bag. The fastball velocity continued to tick up to 94 mph, and he induced five whiffs with the slider. But he did not keep the train on the tracks after the home run, a sour finish to his first start since re-signing with Arizona.

 “A lot of energy coming in here, tough team to play,” Gallen said. “I feel like we had everything working for the most part. Four singles and a homer, so kind of tough to make one of the few mistakes and it leaves the ballpark.”

Yamamoto, meanwhile, threw six innings with two earned runs on five hits.

Pitching woes

The Diamondbacks only allowed runs in two innings but struggled to stop the avalanche once it got going. It did not help that they walked five batters and hit another two with pitches, way too many free baserunners.

The standout was Ryan Thompson, who threw a 1-2-3 inning with 11 pitches.

Clarke had a brutal re-debut after signing back with Arizona this offseason, allowing four runs while recording one out, which was a highlight-reel play …

Jordan Lawlar makes great catch in left field

A positive from Thursday’s loss was that Jordan Lawlar climbed the wall to rob Freddie Freeman of an extra-base hit in an otherwise disastrous seventh inning for the D-backs.

Lawlar made his regular season outfield debut and completed several routine plays successfully before getting tested.

On a slicing fly ball toward the bullpen, Lawlar tracked it back and timed his leap perfectly to pull the ball in. He only played three games in left field during spring training, spending most of his time in center.

“A couple days back, I played some balls off that wall and just kind of felt what it’s like, so I had a pretty good sense of where I was at and just tracked it and jumped up and got it,” Lawlar said. 

Lawlar hit a double in his first at-bat on Thursday, although he was doubled off second base on a line drive. Lawlar said he needed to freeze and go back but thought he read the ball going over Freeman’s head at first base.

Well, at least that catch from Jordan Lawlar was quite impressive.

Taylor Clarke, however, allowed four runs while recording one out, and this game has gotten away from the Diamondbacks. 8-2 Dodgerspic.twitter.com/q0eplhh8at

— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) March 27, 2026

Corbin Carroll wins Diamondbacks’ 1st ABS challenge

This is the first year of MLB implementing the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system, and Corbin Carroll gave the D-backs their first successful challenge.

On an 0-2 count in the first inning, Carroll took a cutter up-and-in from Yamamoto for a strike three. Carroll tapped on his helmet to signal a challenge, and the pitch location showed up on the video board.

The ball missed the zone by 0.2 inches, just about as close to a strike as it could have been.

Carroll flew out, but he forced Yamamoto to throw another couple pitches.

This successful Corbin Carroll challenge was pretty nuts. pic.twitter.com/ZRYqH5bZii

— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) March 27, 2026

Reputation precedes Nolan Arenado

The Diamondbacks traded for third baseman Nolan Arenado primarily for his defense at the hot corner as a 10-time Gold Glover who still picks up the baseball better than most.

The second Dodgers batter of the game, Kyle Tucker, hit a sharp grounder to the left side. Arenado snagged it on a dive and threw to second to retire the lead runner. Gallen threw a scoreless inning after the web gem avoided having him face two runners on with nobody out.

Arenado made another highlight snare in the sixth inning to rob Hernandez of a single.

“I’ve seen it a long time from Nolan Arenado. I’m just glad he’s on our side,” Lovullo said, noting he felt the team put together a strong defensive effort overall. 

Arenado also recorded his first hit as a Diamondback, a single up the middle.

Nolan Arenado makes a diving play to take away what could have been Kyle Tucker's first hit as a Dodger pic.twitter.com/RuMZPxoEkm

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 27, 2026

Pavin Smith update

Designated hitter Pavin Smith was scratched from the starting lineup with left elbow soreness before Thursday’s game. Smith said he could not swing the bat pregame despite going through treatments. He said the plan was to probably get an MRI on Friday morning.

Next game

The Diamondbacks and Dodgers continue their series on Friday at 7:10 p.m. MST. Ryne Nelson will pitch for Arizona with right-hander Emmet Sheehan on the mound for L.A.

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