The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers will turn to a newcomer when the club opens the domestic portion of its schedule, announcing that left-hander Blake Snell will take the mound Thursday at home against the Detroit Tigers.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Blake Snell is going to start in the Dodger Stadium opener on Thursday, when the Los Angeles Dodgers begin a series with the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers, a team on the rise, will open their quest for a second consecutive playoff berth against the team at the top. That sight isn’t lost on the young players who led Detroit on an incredible late-season run last year to its first postseason berth in a decade.