Field Level Media
Aug 27, 2019
Padres left-hander Eric Lauer maintained his perfect record against the Dodgers, tossing six innings of three-run ball as host San Diego beat Los Angeles 4-3 Monday.
Lauer was the pitcher of record when the Padres scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, with a huge assist on a throwing error by Dodgers center fielder A.J. Pollock. By taking the opener of a three-game series, San Diego won its second straight while Los Angeles lost its second in a row.
Lauer entered the game with a 4-0 record and a 1.72 ERA in six career starts against the Dodgers -- the best record of the 65 active major league pitchers with six or more career starts against the Dodgers.
Justin Turner and Enrique Hernandez hit solo homers for the Dodgers, and Turner added a run-scoring double against Lauer, who left the mound for the last time trailing 3-1 in the middle of the sixth. Lauer yielded six hits and four walks with eight strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Dodgers rookie right-hander Dustin May was cruising. He had a perfect game through three innings before the Padres scored in the fourth on a leadoff walk drawn by Greg Garcia, a groundout and a two-out RBI single by Eric Hosmer.
But May never finished a strange sixth.
Padres pinch hitter Austin Allen opened the inning with only the Padres' second hit, a double to the wall in right-center. Garcia then singled Allen to third.
Josh Naylor followed with a third straight hit, a single to center that scored Allen. But as Garcia stopped at second, Pollock rifled a throw to third that skipped through Turner's legs and into the Los Angeles dugout, allowing Garcia to score the tying run and sending Naylor to third.
Naylor then scored the go-ahead run on Manny Machado's groundout to second.
Lauer (7-8) is now 5-0 in seven career starts against the Dodgers with a 2.11 ERA over 42 2/3 innings. Kirby Yates struck out three in a hitless ninth to pick up his major-league-leading 38th save.
May (1-3) gave up four runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
--Field Level Media