Over the years, many heroes have risen to the occasion to save the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting rotation from disaster. In 2022, it was Ross Stripling. Then it was Hyun Jin Ryu the following season. Last year, Bowden Francis stepped up after Yusei Kikuchi — who looked on from the opposing dugout on Friday — was traded. This year, it’s been Eric Lauer.
The injury to Max Scherzer — who’s since rejoined Toronto’s rotation and remains on tap to make his second post-IL start on Saturday — left the Blue Jays with four starters, which dropped to three once Bowden Francis also landed on the IL. And yet, they managed to survive by piecing together several bullpen games.
That success wouldn’t have been possible without Lauer, though.
The 30-year-old lefty has done everything that’s been asked of him. Need him to start a game? Done. Need him to follow an opener out of the bullpen? He’s done that, too. Lately, his role has shifted back to that of a traditional starter, and he has thrived in that position as well.
Making his fifth consecutive start since returning to the club’s starting staff,
Lauer turned in his best start of the season versus the Los Angeles Angels. His final pitching line may not prove that, but that’s exactly what it was. His impressive performance was overshadowed by a three-run seventh inning — two of which were charged to the veteran southpaw, albeit after he departed. But he did his best to outduel Kyle Hendricks, who held the Blue Jays’ lineup to one hit through five.
Lauer completed six-plus innings in the no-decision, the deepest he’s pitched in a game this season and his longest outing since Apr. 19, 2023. Despite the two runs against him, he punched out six and only walked one, retiring 10 straight hitters at one point. Such a performance earned him his first quality start since his days with the Milwaukee Brewers.
“He executed at an extremely high rate tonight, gave us exactly what we needed,” Schneider said following Friday’s 4-3 walk-off victory in 10 innings. “We tried to sneak a few more outs from him in the seventh.
“He’s taken advantage of an opportunity. I think with each outing, his confidence is growing, and with each outing, our confidence in him is growing. So, awesome stuff from him tonight.”
It was clear from the first inning that Lauer had his A-game Friday night. He came out firing with his fastball — which he threw over 50 per cent of the time with his season-high 94 pitches — and for good measure, as he repeatedly dialled it up to 93 m.p.h. For the night, his heater averaged 92.2 and touched 94 twice — one shy of matching his entire season total.
On a night when the Blue Jays’ bullpen was “running on fumes” from
the four-game series versus the Yankees, Lauer covered 18 of the 30 outs needed for the club to earn its season-high sixth consecutive win, pushing their lead for first place in the AL East to two games entering Saturday’s slate.
“Every game you want to go as long as possible, eat as many innings as you can,” Lauer said. “When you’re rolling, you want to stay in there and things were good tonight.”
With the way this team is playing right now, it’s a lot of fun for someone like Lauer, who’s pleased with how he’s quickly become a critical piece of Toronto’s rotation. How he’s run with this opportunity is impressive, and so is how he’s continued to improve each step of the way, lowering his ERA on the season to 2.65 in 13 games (seven starts).
As the July 31 trade deadline looms, the 6-foot-3 hurler is passing a crucial test for this team, providing certainty as they assess their needs between now and then. Acquiring an impact starter will certainly be the front office’s top priority, as it should be.
But how much could Lauer’s recent success impact those plans? Well, they probably once thought they might need to target two starting pitchers rather than one. Now, however, perhaps their focus can be on improving the ceiling of this staff.
Scherzer’s return and Lauer’s emergence have calmed the Blue Jays’ starting pitching depth concerns, at least for now. The future Hall of Famer’s health status, particularly his right thumb, can change as quickly as the wind changes direction. Still, the need for another front-line starter remains.
While those aren’t easy to acquire, nor are they often available, pulling off such a venture could put this club over the top as they eye a deep run to October.
