Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2

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The Los Angeles Dodgers had been grappling with difficulties when facing left-handed pitchers throughout the season, and they had yet to solve Milwaukee's Eric Lauer in any of their previous encounters. However, they managed to put an end to both those struggles in an impressive fashion on Tuesday night.

Mookie Betts, Will Smith, and Miguel Vargas all hit home runs, propelling the Dodgers to a 6-2 victory over Lauer and the Milwaukee Brewers. Prior to this game, the Dodgers held the lowest batting average in the MLB against left-handed pitchers, hitting just .193. However, they finally found their rhythm against Lauer, who is a southpaw.

"He's had a lot of success against us, so it was good to kind of hit him around a little bit," Betts commented. "The main thing is we got the win."

Lauer had previously dominated the Dodgers with a remarkable 7-1 record and a 2.37 ERA in 11 starts. The only active pitcher with at least 10 starts against the Dodgers and a better ERA is Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres, who holds a 2.36 ERA.

Lauer's performance this time around was far from his previous successes. In 3 2/3 innings, he surrendered four runs, three of which were earned. Adding to his struggles, Lauer's own faulty pickoff attempt resulted in an unearned run.

Towards the end of his outing, Lauer felt that he was starting to regain his rhythm, but he acknowledged that it was too little, too late. Reflecting on his performance, he said, "I kind of felt like towards the end of my outing I was starting to kind of find it a little bit, but obviously, too little, too late."

However, the Dodgers also faced setbacks in the game. Their starting pitcher, Noah Syndergaard, could only last one inning due to a cut on the index finger of his pitching hand. The 30-year-old right-hander explained, "I went to use the restroom before the game and looked down, and my hand was bleeding pretty good. We tried to do what we could to make it serviceable, but it just got to the point where it was probably going to continue to open up."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated that there is a possibility Noah Syndergaard could be placed on the injured list due to his finger injury.

"We should have a clearer understanding in the next few days," Roberts stated. "Syndergaard has been taking measures to manage the injury, but unfortunately, it didn't work out tonight."

Following Syndergaard's early exit, the Dodgers' bullpen stepped up and delivered exceptional shutout relief. Phil Bickford, Justin Bruihl (1-0), Yency Almonte, and Victor González combined their efforts, allowing only one hit over five innings. Their stellar performance contributed to the Dodgers building a commanding 6-0 lead. The Brewers managed to score their only runs in the seventh inning when Rowdy Tellez and Victor Caratini hit home runs off Shelby Miller.

In the ninth inning, when the Brewers posed a threat by putting two runners on base against Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips emerged from the bullpen and secured his sixth save in as many opportunities by inducing a groundout from Tyrone Taylor.

The Dodgers quickly gained the upper hand as Mookie Betts wasted no time and launched Lauer's second pitch of the game over the left-center field wall, marking his 39th career leadoff home run. Will Smith continued the power surge by belting a solo home run off Lauer in the third inning. Later in the sixth inning, Miguel Vargas added to the Dodgers' lead with a two-run homer off Bryse Wilson.

In addition to their offensive prowess, the Los Angeles Dodgers received exceptional defense from Chris Taylor, evoking memories of their triumphant Game 7 victory over the Brewers in the 2018 NL Championship Series at the same stadium.

Taylor's defensive display began in the first inning when he made a sensational catch in front of the left-field wall, snatching a Willy Adames hit that had the potential to cause damage with two runners on base and no outs. He continued to impress in the third inning, diving to catch a line drive from Christian Yelich.

Taylor's defensive heroics in this game were reminiscent of his crucial play in the fifth inning of the 2018 encounter, where he also thwarted Yelich with a spectacular catch, preserving the Dodgers' slim 2-1 lead en route to a 6-1 victory.

Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Taylor's outstanding contributions, remarking, "It was like a flashback to 2018. Chris is playing exceptional baseball and making a significant impact defensively."

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw (5-2, 2.53 ERA) will take the mound for the Dodgers, while the Brewers will counter with left-hander Wade Miley (3-1, 2.31 ERA) as the final game of this three-game series unfolds on Wednesday.