Eric Lauer gets the ball for the Dodgers on Tuesday night against the Diamondbacks, a quick chance to steady a club that opened this four-game series with a 4-1 loss on Monday. Los Angeles is trying to keep a run alive that it has protected since May 9-12, when it last dropped back-to-back games.
That is the search now because the Dodgers are not only chasing a win, they are trying to avoid letting one defeat turn into two in a row. They are 3-1 against Arizona this season after sweeping the opening series, but Monday’s loss cut into that edge and put immediate pressure on the next game at home.
Lauer is making his second start since joining Los Angeles in a midseason trade from the Toronto Blue Jays, and his first outing gave the Dodgers a reason to trust him again. Last week against the Colorado Rockies, he worked six innings of one-run ball, striking out four and walking one. Before the trade, he had a 6.69 ERA in 36.1 innings with Toronto, so the six clean frames in a Dodgers uniform mattered as much for confidence as for the standings.
The matchup also comes with a reminder that Arizona has already seen him. In mid-April, Lauer faced the Diamondbacks as a member of the Blue Jays and allowed three runs over five innings in a 6-3 loss. He later said his remarks about not liking to pitch behind an opener had been taken out of context, adding that there was no ill will and no hurt feelings, only an honest answer to a question he thought was simple. He also said most starters would probably say the same thing, while making clear he was willing to do it and be a team player.
For the Dodgers, Tuesday is less about labels than sequence. A loss on Monday would have been easy to dismiss in isolation; another one would change the feel of the week. Lauer can keep that from happening, and his second start may tell them whether the debut was a useful preview or just a good night against Colorado.
