Sluggish Dodgers open homestand with lopsided loss

The Dodgers’ August woes adopted them into the first day of September.

Roster growth, returning three gamers from the injured listing, the mental reduction of turning the calendar web page — none of that gave the Dodgers the enhance they needed against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Instead, the Dodgers misplaced 13-8 to a staff that entered the day 4 ½ video games out of the last National League wild-card spot.

“I just think tonight we just got behind the eight ball,” supervisor Dave Roberts said.

During the Dodgers’ past seven collection (following a high-scoring journey to Chicago), their rotation has recorded a top-five ERA (2.97) in the majors. But on Tuesday, left-hander Eric Lauer coughed up seven runs in three innings.

It was a personal outlier as nicely in Lauer’s time with the Dodgers. Lauer had given up more than three runs in just two other outings since the Dodgers acquired him from the Blue Jays in mid-May, and Tuesday marked his shortest start.

“I felt good warming up, felt good in the bullpen, then got out there and kind of just lost it,” Lauer said. “And you know it’s one of those things where you try to make adjustments and you try to work on things between, and I think I might have been just tinkering a little too much in between and getting outside of myself. So I think really just focusing on what I do well and repeating that and not trying to get too fancy and getting back to the basics is really all I can do.”

The Dodgers had briefly moved Lauer from the rotation into the bullpen, but he reclaimed his beginning position when right-hander Roki Sasaki landed on the IL last week with a blister on his proper center finger.

Lauer’s start Tuesday started to go downhill in the second inning when he gave up back-to-back solo homers to Ramón Urias and Thomas Saggese with two outs.

Those two runs might have been rapidly forgotten if Lauer had gotten back on observe. The next inning, however, he surrendered 5 runs as the Cardinals stored chipping away with 5 singles, a hit batter, a stroll and a sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers struck back in the underside half of the inning — but not precisely with authority.

Mookie Betts’ bases-clearing double was assisted by a Cardinals defensive miscue. Right fielder Jordan Walker and second baseman José Fermín both raced after Betts’ shallow fly. As Fermín dashed back, Walker slid to attempt the catch — and took out Fermín’s toes from under him.

The ball fell to the ground. With two outs, Dodgers baserunners have been going on contact and all three crossed the plate before Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson might retrieve the ball and throw it.

Betts’ bat stayed scorching. And he contributed another RBI double in the fifth — this one smoked up the left-field line to drive in one run. But it didn’t do a lot to put a dent in the Cardinals’ lead.

The Cardinals continued to tack on against the Dodgers’ bullpen, powered by three more home runs, off right-hander Seth Halvorsen, lefty Alex Vesia and lefty Justin Wrobleski, recent off the injured listing.

Dodgers utility participant Kiké Hernández pitches during the ninth inning of a blowout loss to the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Catcher Will Smith, who the Dodgers also activated from the IL Tuesday, put the ball in the air in his first 4 at-bats and was finally rewarded in the seventh inning with an RBI double. He drove in another run in the ninth, grounding into a fielder’s selection with the bases loaded, as half of a three-run last-ditch rally.

“I think that there were some positives with the at-bats,” Roberts said. “I liked some of the swings. I like taking walks when given to us. I like being able to push and runs across.”

All 4 gamers who the Dodgers activated on Tuesday appeared in the sport. In addition to Smith and Wrobleski, second baseman Alex Freeland (recalled from triple A) began the sport, and Dalton Rushing (reinstated from the IL) struck out in his lone pinch-hit at-bat. Rushing will present a left-handed bat off the bench until he’s graduated from his throwing program and constructed up on the defensive aspect.

The rating was so lopsided by the ninth inning that utility participant Kiké Hernández took the mound to end the sport — but without his signature pitching helmet.