Dodgers Lineup vs Diamondbacks: Will Smith Out, Ryan Ward Starting

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to get back into the win column on Tuesday night in their second of four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks this week.

The Dodgers dropped Monday's series opener, 4-1, as they were shut down by Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez and three relievers.

LA is now 3-1 against Arizona this season after sweeping the opening series of the season.

The Dodgers haven't lost back-to-back games since they lost four in a row from May 9-12 against the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants. They'll look to maintain that streak on Tuesday night.

Dodgers vs Diamondbacks Pitching Matchup on Tuesday

Left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer is taking the mound for the Dodgers in his second start since being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in a midseason trade.

Lauer pitched six innings of one-run ball in his Dodgers debut last week against the Colorado Rockies, striking out four while walking one.

The left-hander had a 6.69 ERA across 36.1 innings with the Blue Jays before the trade. He faced the Diamondbacks in mid-April as a member of the Blue Jays, pitching behind an opener and allowing three runs over five innings in a 6-3 loss.

Lauer then went viral after that game when he said he didn't like pitching behind an opener. However, he clarified those comments after joining the Dodgers.

“A lot of that was kind of taken out of context,” Lauer said. “There was no ill will there. There was no hurt feelings. It was a very simple question, I thought, ‘How do you feel about an opener?’ I think if you ask most starters in the league, they would probably have the same response, that they don’t like it. But it doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to do it. It doesn’t mean that I’m not a team player."

Opposite Lauer will be veteran right-hander Michael Soroka, who's having his best season since his All-Star campaign in 2019.

Soroka is 7-2 with a 3.25 ERA across 61 innings (11 starts). He has 60 strikeouts to 14 walks and is among the best pitchers in MLB in terms of chase percentage (34.5%, 86th percentile) and walk percentage (5.5%, 90th percentile).

He's allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last five starts, pitching at least 5.2 innings in all of them.

Dodgers Starting Lineup

Shohei Ohtani, DH
Andy Pages, CF
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Mookie Betts, SS
Kyle Tucker, RF
Max Muncy, 3B
Ryan Ward, LF
Dalton Rushing, C
Alex Freeland, 2B

Will Smith is out, with Rushing getting the start behind the plate. Moreover, Alex Call is out, with the left-handed Ward starting in left field.

How to Watch Dodgers vs Diamondbacks on Tuesday

First pitch for Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, June 2 is 6:40 p.m. PT/9:40 p.m. ET.

The game will be broadcast on SportsNet LA and in the MLB app.

The game will be broadcast on the radio on AM570 (in English) and KTNQ 1020 AM (in Spanish).

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