The Los Angeles Dodgers are getting two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell back on Tuesday, August 11, in a matchup against the Kansas City Royals, which means the starting rotation is in place for the upcoming showdown versus the Milwaukee Brewers.
Swingman Eric Lauer will start on Wednesday, August 12, to wrap up the series against the Royals. It was supposed to be the lefty’s final turn in the rotation with Tyler Glasnow nearing a return, but Emmet Sheehan’s demotion could allow Lauer to remain a starter.
“Eric (Lauer) is scheduled for Wednesday so we’ll kind of get through that and kind of figure out where we go from there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register.
The Dodgers rotation against the Brewers will go Roki Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Justin Wrobleski, and Tarik Skubal.
Los Angeles Dodgers Rotation is Set for Showdown Against NL-Leading Milwaukee Brewers
The Dodgers won the first game of the Royals series behind a decent outing from Skubal. The two-time AL Cy Young winner allowed three earned runs over five innings. He left the game down 3-2, but Los Angeles picked up three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to get him off the hook. Kansas City knotted the game on a Kyle Isbel home run in the seventh inning. Freddie Freeman put the Dodgers back on top with an RBI single in the bottom of the frame.
An ugly seven-game losing streak at the beginning of August dropped the Dodgers out of the top spot in the National League standings. The club is just 10-12 in the second half. LA’s rough performance out of the All-Star break has propelled the Brewers to the best record in the league at 74-45. The Dodgers are tied with the Atlanta Braves at 71-48. The team with the top finish will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The two best records in the NL earn first-round byes in the postseason.
The Dodgers took two of three games in Milwaukee in late May. Sasaki and Yamamoto pitched well to secure a series win. The matchup later this week will decide the season series between the World Series hopefuls. If Los Angeles can manage a split, the club will hold the tiebreaker over Milwaukee. That would come into play if the teams finish with identical records.
When Will Glasnow Be Ready to Return?
A back injury sidelined Glasnow at the beginning of May. A supposedly minor injury has kept him out of the lineup for more than three months. The former All-Star made two rehab appearances earlier this month. He’s scheduled to pitch again later this week.
“He’s going to do four (innings) and 60 (pitches), and then there’ll be a five and 75, and then hopefully three starts from now he’ll be back with us,” Roberts said, relayed by Padilla.
The timeline puts Glasnow on track to make it back to the big leagues before the end of August. He posted a strong 2.72 ERA over seven starts before the back injury.
Dodgers Reveal Rotation Plans For Crucial Brewers Series