D-backs announce starting lineup for 2020 Opening Day at Padres

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ lineup on Opening Day on Friday included Christian Walker as the team’s designated hitter, mere days after he was excluded from exhibition games in Los Angeles due to a groin injury.

Manager Torey Lovullo keeps him off his feet defensively by making him the DH. Jake Lamb will play first base.

There was little surprise or omission in the first regular season lineup of 2020, a welcome sight after the team sat idle because of the coronavirus pandemic. First pitch is at 6:10 p.m. from Petco Park on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Here’s the full lineup:

2B Ketel Marte
LF David Peralta
CF Starling Marte
3B Eduardo Escobar
DH Christian Walker
RF Kole Calhoun
C Carson Kelly
1B Jake Lamb
SS Nick Ahmed
(P Madison Bumgarner)

Marte, coming off a fourth-place finish in National League MVP voting, will bat leadoff despite hitting 32 home runs and driving in 92 runs in 2019. Still, the now-full-time second baseman was the D-backs’ leadoff hitter in 27 games last season, hitting .347 in such circumstances.

On the mound for the Padres will be starting pitcher Chris Paddack, a right-hander. Lovullo arranged the first four batters in the lineup such that three of Paddack’s first four hitters faced will most likely hit from the left-handed batter’s box (Ketel Marte and Escobar are switch hitters).

Arizona was 11-8 against the Padres in 2019.

Tonight’s game will also air on Fox Sports Arizona.

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