Dodgers give life to injury-riddled starting corps, acquire lefty Lauer
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ANAHEIM -- The Dodgers added to their thinning rotation depth by acquiring left-hander Eric Lauer from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations ahead of Sunday's series finale against the Angels. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, righty reliever Brusdar Graterol was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Lauer, 30, was designated for assignment by Toronto last Monday. The veteran southpaw went 1-5 with a 6.69 ERA and surrendered an AL-leading 11 homers in eight appearances (six starts) for the Blue Jays this season. Last postseason, he pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Dodgers in two World Series outings.
In eight big league seasons, Lauer has a 46-44 record with a 4.26 ERA. He has primarily been a starter in his career, so this move gives the Dodgers sorely needed rotation depth on the 40-man roster.
In the wake of the injuries to Tyler Glasnow (lower back spasms) and Blake Snell (loose bodies in left elbow), the Dodgers only have five starting pitchers on the active roster. They have just one other healthy starter on the 40-man roster, No. 6 prospect River Ryan. Ryan just returned to action after being sidelined with a hamstring injury, and L.A. would also like him to get more experience in Triple-A before returning to the big league club in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
That has left the Dodgers, who normally run a six-man rotation, short-handed on the starting-pitching side. They ran a bullpen game in place of Snell on Friday, with eight relievers combining to shut out the Angels.
The Dodgers can get to next Thursday's off-day with their five starters, but after that, they'll have to think about how to navigate another stretch of six straight games while keeping their starters on the rest they're accustomed to. The need for a sixth starter will become more pressing when L.A. begins a stretch of 19 games in 20 days from May 29-June 17, so if Glasnow is not active by the end of the month, then Lauer could potentially be part of that solution.