Will Klein will open Dodgers vs Twins on Monday, and Eric Lauer is lined up behind him for the bulk innings. The switch comes as the Los Angeles Dodgers try to stop a two-game slide in Minnesota and protect a 49-29 record.
Will Klein gets the first pitch
Klein was the name the Dodgers put on the game plan for the series opener in Minnesota. Lauer, who had been the scheduled starter, is now expected to handle the longer stretch after the opener finishes his part.
That makes the Dodgers’ approach more than a simple lineup note. It turns Monday into a planned split of labor, with Klein asked to start the game and Lauer tasked with carrying the middle innings if the script holds.
Eric Lauer shifts again
Lauer has worked as a sixth starter for the Dodgers while Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow have been out. In 22.1 innings with the Dodgers, he has a 3.22 ERA, 14 strikeouts and five walks.
His numbers in Los Angeles are a clear step up from his earlier stretch with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he posted a 6.69 ERA in 36.1 innings before being designated for assignment. The Dodgers have used him in a role built around covering innings rather than taking a standard start from first pitch to the final out.
Roster move before Minnesota
The Dodgers also reinstated Brock Stewart from the injured list and optioned Chayce McDermott. Stewart has appeared in two games this year and has thrown two shutout innings with three strikeouts, while McDermott allowed two runs over 1.1 innings on Sunday.
That leaves the Dodgers with a sharper bullpen picture entering a three-game series against a Twins team that has won seven of its past nine games. Los Angeles remains nine games ahead of the San Diego Padres in the National League West, but Monday’s opener now begins with a different first arm than the one originally penciled in.
