Eric Lauer Set for Second Start After Dodgers Fall 4-1 — Diamondbacks Vs Dodgers
The Dodgers lost 4-1 to the Diamondbacks in diamondbacks vs dodgers on Monday, then turned to Eric Lauer for Tuesday night’s second game of the four-game set. The defeat left Los Angeles 3-1 against Arizona this season and put its no-back-to-back-losses run at risk.
Rodriguez Holds Dodgers to One Run
Eduardo Rodriguez set the tone for Arizona, and three relievers finished the job as the Dodgers never found enough offense to recover. Monday’s opener stayed at 4-1, a result that gave Los Angeles its first chance this week to answer after sweeping the season’s opening series.
The Dodgers had not lost two straight since dropping four in a row from May 9-12 against the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants. That makes Tuesday’s game more than a routine midweek start; it is the immediate response spot after a loss that tightened the season series to 3-1.
Lauer Gets the Ball Again
Lauer is taking the mound for the Dodgers in his second start since being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in a midseason trade. His debut last week went six innings, with one run allowed, four strikeouts and one walk against the Colorado Rockies.
He has already faced Arizona this year. In mid-April, while pitching for Toronto, he worked behind an opener and gave up three runs over five innings in a 6-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. He later addressed that usage directly, saying, “A lot of that was kind of taken out of context.”
Blue Jays Past, Dodgers Present
Lauer also said, “There was no ill will there. There was no hurt feelings. It was a very simple question, I thought, ‘How do you feel about an opener?’ I think if you ask most starters in the league, they would probably have the same response, that they don’t like it. But it doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to do it. It doesn’t mean that I’m not a team player.”
That backdrop leaves Tuesday’s start with a clear edge: Lauer is not just filling a turn in the rotation, he is trying to stack another clean outing after a strong Dodgers debut and help prevent the club’s first back-to-back losses in nearly a month. The series is still only at its second game, but the pressure now sits on the mound and the scoreboard, where the Dodgers need the next result to change the direction of the week.
