The Dodgers head into Wednesday with a chance to leave Philadelphia having taken the series, and the first two games have already shown just how wide the range can be.
Monday turned into a slugfest. Tuesday was the opposite: a tight pitching battle that ended with the Phillies runners getting caught in a costly base running double play. That leaves the finale wide open.
Los Angeles will turn to Eric Lauer, who has quietly become a steady piece since joining the club. He’s given up three earned runs or fewer in seven straight outings. The one catch is that he doesn’t miss a ton of bats and he isn’t a ground-ball-heavy arm, which gives the Phillies a path to attack him the same way they did in Game 1, by trying to lift the ball out of the park.
Trea Turner is one of the Phillies bats to watch. He’s riding a six-game hit streak and has gone 6-for-16 against Lauer with a 1.224 OPS. Two of those hits have left the yard, including a grand slam when he was still with the Dodgers.
Philadelphia will counter with Aaron Nola, whose season has been all over the map. He’s 3-7 with a 5.68 ERA, though his recent work has been better. He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last outings, and he’s struck out at least six in each of his last three starts.
Lauer also comes in with a little extra rest after throwing 99 pitches in his last outing, which came two weeks ago. Justin Wrobleski’s length yesterday helped keep the bullpen in good shape, and with an off day coming Thursday, the Dodgers should have options if they need them.
If Los Angeles can get to Nola, it could keep rolling in a stretch where the club has yet to lose a game started by Lauer.
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Phillies Handed Dodgers Another Win With A Brutal Late Mental Mistake
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Realmuto later acknowledged the miscue in a postgame interview, calling it a lapse in judgment. For a Phillies club that has already lived through similar late-game frustration before, the sequence was a costly reminder that one careless moment can erase everything a lineup has built over nine innings. [Read more 🡒]