After dropping the opener of their three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Los Angeles Dodgers need to find some offense in the middle game at American Family Field.
The Dodgers enter play with a 21-15 record, good for a half-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West standings.
Noah Syndergaard gets the ball on Tuesday for his seventh start of the season. He enters with a 6.32 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, while allowing a .305 batting average to opposing hitters. The right-hander is having a difficult time thus far, posting career worsts in strikeout rate, groundball rate and ERA.
Since signing with the Dodgers on a one-year contract in an attempt to be their latest reclamation project, Syndergaard has added a cutter to his arsenal. The front office and coaching staff have taken a similar approach to him as they did to Brusdar Graterol, and because of an inability to get swing-and-miss, adding a cut-fastball could help miss some barrels.
Syndergaard has maintained that his lack of strikeouts isn’t concerning, and he’s “focused on getting outs.” In the past 15.1 innings pitched he’s only struck out four while allowing 12 earned runs on 22 hits.
Syndergaard was originally slotted to start against the San Diego Padres on Sunday but the Dodgers shuffled their rotation to align their top starters this past weekend.
The Brewers send Eric Lauer to the mound, making his seventh start and coming off of a 4.2-inning performance against the Colorado Rockies in which he allowed four hits and four runs, all unearned. In his career against the Dodgers, the lefty has stepped up his game, posting a 2.37 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 64.2 innings.
On the season Lauer holds a 4.40 ERA and 1.53 WHIP, with 29 strikeouts over 30.2 innings.
Will Smith and Miguel Vargas are back in the Dodgers lineup after both received a day of rest on Monday. Because of their inability to find consistent offense against southpaws, the Dodgers need to score early before the Brewers’ fourth-best NL bullpen has a shot to enter the game.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
LF: Chris Taylor
3B: Max Muncy
2B: Miguel Vargas
DH: James Outman
CF: Trayce Thompson
SS: Miguel Rojas
Brewers lineup
LF: Christian Yelich
DH: Jesse Winker
SS: Willy Adames
1B: Rowdy Tellez
3B: Brian Anderson
C: Victor Caratini
2B: Brice Turang
RF: Tyrone Taylor
CF: Joey Wiemer
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