Game 2 of the 4-game set at Chase rolls Tuesday with first pitch at 8:40 PM CT. Lauer (2-5, 5.95) gets the ball for the Dodgers opposite Michael Soroka (7-2, 3.25), which is, on paper, about as lopsided as a pitching matchup gets in early June.
The ERA gap is loud, but the recent track record narrows it a touch. Lauer was sharp in his Dodgers debut against Colorado on May 26 — 6 innings, 1 earned, 4 strikeouts on 96 pitches — which is exactly the kind of get-through-the-lineup-twice outing LA needs while Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell sit. Soroka, meanwhile, has been Arizona's most reliable starter, and the Diamondbacks have absolutely needed it given who's not pitching for them right now.
- 10-Day-ILTeoscar Hernandez LF — Hernandez (hamstring) said Saturday that he expects to return from the injured list in about a month, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILEnrique Hernandez 1B — Hernandez is expected to be out for 6-to-8 weeks after sustaining a "significant tear" of his left oblique during Tuesday's 15-6 win over the Rockies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrock Stewart RP — Stewart faced live hitters early this past week but is still experiencing discomfort in his left foot, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTyler Glasnow SP — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts relayed Saturday that Glasnow (back) "hasn't gotten over the hump" to increase his throwing progression beyond playing catch, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrusdar Graterol RP — Graterol (shoulder) underwent surgery recently for a back injury he suffered while on a rehab assignment, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.
- 60-Day-ILTommy Edman 2B — Through three rehab games with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Edman (ankle) has gone 4-for-9 with two runs and a 1:3 BB:K.
- 60-Day-ILBlake Snell SP — Snell (elbow) will undergo the same "nano scope" procedure Tuesday that Tarik Skubal had earlier in May, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILEvan Phillips RP — Phillips (elbow) is facing hitters Tuesday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayA.J. Vukovich CF — no
- Day-To-DayDerek Law RP — no
- Day-To-DaySpencer Giesting SP
- Day-To-DayKyle Amendt RP — Amendt was invited to major-league spring training by the Diamondbacks, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
- 10-Day-ILLourdes Gurriel Jr. LF — Gurriel's hamstring injury is believed to be fairly minor, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports. Manager Torey Lovullo said Saturday the hope is Gurriel will be able to return from the injured list when first eligible.
- 10-Day-ILJames McCann C — Manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday that McCann (quad) will likely be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
- 60-Day-ILCristian Mena RP — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday that Mena underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILCarlos Santana 1B — Santana suffered a setback with his right adductor strain Sunday while on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
The injury list is the story of both rotations. The Dodgers are without Snell, Glasnow, Gavin Stone, Bobby Miller and Landon Knack on the starter side, and the back of the bullpen is a wreck — Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Brock Stewart, Edwin Diaz and Ben Casparius are all on the shelf. Arizona is missing Corbin Burnes, Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk, plus position guys Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and James McCann. There is a lot of duct tape on both sides.
Monday night, the duct tape held for Arizona. Ketel Marte hit a 2-run shot in the 8th, Nolan Arenado went deep in the 7th, and rookie Tommy Troy got his first career homer to flip a 1-0 deficit. Shohei Ohtani had 3 hits and is now 10-for-his-last-23, which is the only thing keeping the Dodgers' top of the order from feeling totally stuck without Teoscar and Edman.
The market is treating this as basically a coin flip — Pinnacle has the Dodgers at -118 and the D-backs at +107, with a total of 9.5. That feels about right. LA is still the better team at 38-22 and gets to face an Arizona lineup missing Gurriel, but Soroka has been the steadier arm and the Diamondbacks have won 4 in a row at home. Take the under and pray for a Soroka-Lauer pitchers' duel that probably won't happen.