Pitching and Defense Lead the Way

With the offense performing poorly so far, the Dodger pitching staff has picked up the slack. They lead the majors with a team earned-run average of 2.05 and have given up more than three runs only once in nine games, holding opponents to 60 hits in 92 innings.

But the biggest surprise so far has been the stellar defense. The Dodgers lead the National League with a .990 fielding percentage, having committed only four errors. The Dodgers finished tied for fifth last year at .980. The last time the Dodgers led the league in fielding was 1960.

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Despite dreary predictions of a fourth consecutive below-.500 season, the Pirates have sold nearly 40,000 tickets for their home opener against the Dodgers today in 48,044-seat Three Rivers Stadium.

The home opener is later than usual because the National League sent most of its cold-weather teams to the West Coast to avoid the unpredictable weather that often disrupts its early-April schedule.

The Dodgers didn’t entirely duck the cold and snow though. The National Weather Service is calling for snow flurries today and a temperature in the mid-40s.

The Pirates will debut their black alternate home jerseys and black-and-gold caps with the red bills. It is the first time since the mid-1940s the Pirates uniforms have included red.