MINNEAPOLIS – When Eric Lauer was on the Toronto Blue Jays, he said he “hated” pitching behind an opener.
So what did the Dodgers have him do on Monday?
You guess it: They had him pitch behind an opener.
Only this time, the results were different.
They were better.
Replacing opener Will Klein after one inning, Lauer pitched six no-hit innings in a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
Pitching through the seventh inning, Lauer departed the game with a 2-1 lead the Dodgers built on solo home runs by Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Lauer was “all-in’” on the plan to deploy him behind reliever Will Klein.
Roberts made it a point to alert Lauer about how he would be used after the Dodgers’ series finale against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday in Los Angeles.
“I just laid it out there,” Roberts said. “He received it very well.
“All players want, they want some clarity. I think for us he’s going to go into the game in the second inning, so he can do his preparation and be consistent with that.”
Ironically, the only problem with the plan turned out to be the inning pitch by the opener. The second hitter of the game, Byron Buxton, homered off him to tie the game, 1-1.
What it means
This was potentially a costly game for the Dodgers.
Kyle Tucker drew a walk in the second inning and advanced on a single by Tommy Edman, only to appear to be in obvious discomfort once he reached second base.
The Dodgers later announced Tucker was removed from the game with lower back spasms. The injury could be a major blow for Tucker, who is batting .234 in his first 75 games with the Dodgers.
But Tucker wasn’t the only player to go down.
An inning later, catcher Dalton Rushing was replaced by rookie Chuckie Robinson. Rushing left the game to rule out a concussion, according to the Dodgers.
Rushing was hit on his mask by a foul ball on the first pitch of the first inning.
Who’s hot
Right-hander Brock Stewart was activated from the injured list, a move that could help a bullpen that recently lost Blake Treinen to elbow inflammation.
The 34-year-old Stewart has pitched in only 5 ⅔ innings since he was acquired from the Twins last year in a trade for outfielder James Outman.
Stewart pitched only two innings this season before he was placed on the injured list with bone spurs.
Who’s not
A day after Roberts ripped his team’s hitting approach, Ohtani led off the game with a home run – his 17th of the season.
But the Dodgers didn’t score again until the sixth inning when Freeman homered to center against Twins starter Zebby Matthews.
Matthews entered the game with a 4.78 earned-run average, but the right-hander limited the Dodgers to six hits and two runs over six innings. He struck out five.
Up next
On Tuesday, the Dodgers and Twins will play the second game of their three-game series at Target Field, with Justin Wrobleski (8-2, 2.72) starting for the Dodgers and Joe Ryan (5-3, 2.99) pitching for the Twins.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
