NEW YORK -- After playing Major League Baseball's season opener in Australia, the Los Angeles Dodgers will start the North American portion of the schedule, too.

The San Diego Padres will host the Dodgers on March 30 in a game to be broadcast by ESPN, the network said Thursday.

The Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks open the season with a two-game series at Sydney on March 22-23, MLB's first regular-season games in Australia. Most other big league teams start their schedules March 31.

In addition, ESPN will broadcast five games on Opening Day. The schedule for March 31:

• Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles, 3 p.m. (ESPN2)

• St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds, 4 p.m. (ESPN)

• Colorado Rockies at Miami Marlins, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

• Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels, 10 p.m. (ESPN2)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.