Dodgers look to land next punch in heavyweight battle with Padres

The Los Angeles Dodgers literally have an entire pitching staff on the injured list.

They also own first place in the National League West, upping their lead on second-place San Francisco to 1 1/2 games with a wild 8-7, 10-inning win Monday night at the Padres in San Diego.

Los Angeles will try for a series win on Tuesday night in what shapes up as a bullpen game for it. Manager Dave Roberts hadn't designated a starter as of early Tuesday, although it appears that Matt Sauer could open on the mound.

Sauer (1-0, 3.05 ERA) was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City when Tony Gonsolin (elbow) became the 13th Dodgers pitcher to go on the injured list. Sauer last pitched for Los Angeles on May 23, allowing three hits and two runs (one unearned) in three innings of relief during a 7-5, 13-inning win at the New York Mets. He didn't figure into the decision.

This will be the first career outing against San Diego for Sauer, a right-hander who relies mostly on cutters and sinkers. In his one start this season for Los Angeles on May 15, Sauer worked the first four innings of a 19-2 victory against the Athletics, allowing two hits and two runs with two walks and two strikeouts.

Roberts needed five innings out of his already-taxed bullpen on Monday night, although it could have been worse. Starter Dustin May allowed six runs in the first three innings but was able to supply two scoreless innings before departing.

"He found a way to get us through five innings and give us a chance to win tonight and win a series," Roberts said. "It wasn't a pretty game but we got hits when we needed them."

While Los Angeles looks to string together nine innings without a true starter, the Padres hope that right-hander Dylan Cease (1-5, 4.72) can win for the first time since April 2. Cease took a 3-2 road loss Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, permitting five hits and three runs in five innings with three walks and seven strikeouts.

In four career regular-season starts against the Dodgers, Cease is 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA, with the win coming last July in his first start after no-hitting Washington. But Cease was hammered in two playoff outings by Los Angeles, losing Games 1 and 4 of the NLDS.

San Diego, which dropped to third place in the division with the loss on Monday, might need length from Cease one way or the other. The Padres used seven pitchers in the series opener and could have limited options in the bullpen as a number of key relievers, including closer Robert Suarez, have worked in consecutive games.

"We're piecing it together," Padres manager Mike Shildt said, "and we're going to need some length out of our starters."

The Padres also could use more consistent production offensively. While their seven runs Monday night were their most since May 28, they also managed just two hits and one run after the third inning. Dodger relievers mowed down 11 straight after May departed.

"They punched, we punched," Shildt said. "It was a typical game we play against them ... we had a lot of other opportunities. We could have done things better."

--Field Level Media