Hiroki Kuroda, the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter last year, said he feels better this Spring than last Spring, even though the herniated disk in his neck isn’t completely healed.

Kuroda said his shoulder was tender at the start of Spring Training last year, but he said it feels fine this year. Kuroda said he was very pleased with his bullpen session Thursday.

He is entering the final year of a three-year contract and coming off a season in which he was limited to 20 starts because of three injuries. He said he believes the disk injury was the result of whiplash from being hit on the head by a line drive last Aug. 15 in Arizona.– Ken Gurnick