San Diego Padres: Eric Lauer Dominant Against Los Angeles Dodgers

Rookie LHP Eric Lauer put in a dominant performance Tuesday night, as the San Diego Padres tamed the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 at Petco Park.

In a season full of frustrating moments for the San Diego Padres, Tuesday night was one of the more impressive, feel-good moments of 2018. Eric Lauer, a rookie pitcher who had many fans questioning his ability to stick, came within one out of pitching a shutout against the hated Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately, a two-out solo home run by this year’s biggest surprise in baseball, Max Muncy, ended the shutout attempt and the night for Eric Lauer.

His final line for the night: 8.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, 115 pitches (73 strikes).

Lauer is making a habit of owning the Dodgers. In 14-plus innings thus far, he has conceded 11 hits, one earned run, three walks, and has struck out 13. Another important feather to Lauer’s cap, Matt Kemp went 0-for-4 against him last night, striking out on all four occasions.

After dominating the Dodgers on the mound, Lauer endeared himself to the fanbase, telling reporters after the game, “It’s the Dodgers, man. Nobody likes the Dodgers.” He gets it.

After a rough start to his rookie season, Lauer seems to have settled into the Padres’ starting pitching line-up. With yesterday’s outing, Lauer lowered his ERA to 4.40. He is 2-0 in July, pitching to 1.32 ERA  with a 1.10 WHIP in those two starts.

In what should be considered a good sign for Padres, Eric Lauer has taken giant strides with every start.  His earned run average and opponent’s batting average have dropped significantly from month to month.

• April: 10.13 ERA/.351 average
• May: 6.75 ERA/ .347 average
• June: 2.76 ERA/.279 average
• July: 1.32 ERA/ .225 average

Much of his recent success can be attributed to his new cut-fastball and continued increase in his velocity. Lauer hit 95 mph last night, continuing to throw 93-94 in the 7th and 8th innings. In many of his early starts, his average fastball velocity struggled to reach 89 mph.

We also can’t forget to mention that he picked off his ninth baserunner last night. He needs just four more to break the all-time Padres record for pickoffs in a season. It’s only July 11th.

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San Diego Padres need Eric Lauer to do well.

With the impending July 31st trade deadline, the San Diego Padres are expected to make a number of moves to help clear up positional log jams and find pieces that fit into the future plans of the team. One would have to believe that  A.J.Preller will try to maximize the value for players like Tyson Ross and maybe even Clayton Richard.

No one is still quite sure what the team has in Luis Perdomo. After a successful stint in AAA and a decent return to the majors, Perdomo was rocked in his last outing, against the Dodgers. However, the confidence in Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer seem to be rising. Both have exhibited the stuff to fill out back-of-the-rotation spots for the Padres.

Next: The Padres Will Have One All-Star In 2018

San Diego and Los Angeles will go at it again tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm as Joey Lucchesi and Kenta Maeda take the mound.