The Minnesota starter noted that Freeman's decisive homer came after he fell behind in the count and missed his spot.
"It was a cutter that kind of backed up on me. It wasn’t a great pitch.
There’s a reason he’s Freddie Freeman, he doesn’t miss those. Had the execution been a little better, maybe a different result.
But it wasn’t the best pitch and he didn’t miss it," Matthews said.
Twins manager Derek Shelton praised Lauer's improvement since his time with the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this season.
"He’s changed. He got to a different organization, he’s changed," Shelton said.
Shelton highlighted Lauer's effective use of the cutter inside to right-handers and the four-seam fastball off it.
>>> Caglianone and Antonacci Lead Week 14 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Targets
The three-game series continues Tuesday evening at Target Field, with Kendry Rojas starting for Minnesota due to Joe Ryan's illness and Justin Wrobleski pitching for Los Angeles.
