ANAHEIM -- Less than 24 hours after Patrick Corbin solidified his standing with five efficient innings, Eric Lauer took the ball for the Blue Jays in their 7-3 loss to the Angels Wednesday afternoon at Angel Stadium.
For Lauer, the outing served as a significant data point in an increasingly crowded pitching hierarchy, especially with the organization’s No. 1 prospect, Trey Yesavage, nearing a return.
While Yesavage’s return from a right shoulder impingement is a matter of when, not if, Lauer was tasked with replicating what manager John Schneider described as the "perfect blueprint" set by Corbin.
“Corb's outing yesterday is like the perfect blueprint, I think, with just how platoon-heavy their top is,” Schneider said before the game. “That’s kind of what we’re looking for. ... You want to give [the bullpen] some runway.”
However, the Angels' lineup proved difficult to navigate as the game progressed. Lauer’s afternoon started efficiently, as he leaned heavily on his changeup to cruise through two scoreless innings, but his rhythm faltered in the third. After allowing back-to-back singles to Logan O'Hoppe and Bryce Teodosio, Lauer walked Mike Trout to load the bases. A sacrifice fly by Jo Adell gave the Angels a 1-0 lead.
The long ball ultimately defined Lauer’s outing. In the fourth, Nolan Schanuel launched a solo home run to right-center field. An inning later, after a seven-pitch battle, Trout connected on an 85.9 mph cutter for a solo shot to left, extending the Angels' lead to 3-0.
Lauer finished his day after five innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs while striking out three. He did so while wearing blue stability tape on his neck, a precautionary measure for posture and neck issues he has dealt with for a few days. Following the loss, Lauer noted that his velocity was down because he felt out of sequence and unable to hold his weight over his back leg.
"You're going to have days where your velocity is not where you want it to be," Lauer said. "Your stuff might not be as sharp as it could be, but you find a way to get out, find a way to grind through as much as you can, and try to keep the team in the game as long as possible.”
The urgency surrounding the rotation remains fueled by Yesavage, who completed a rehab start in Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday. Schneider noted before the game that the team will reevaluate Yesavage's next steps on Friday. With Corbin making a compelling case on Tuesday and Lauer struggling with the long ball in Anaheim, the competition for the final rotation spot has tightened.
Schneider confirmed that the decision to start Lauer traditionally was a direct result of Tuesday's high-leverage win. While there was a plan in place to potentially use an opener, the workload of the relief corps necessitated a longer outing from the starter.
While Lauer provided the five innings Schneider hoped for, the bullpen struggled to hold the line after the Blue Jays rallied to tie the game at 3-3 in the seventh. With high-leverage arms like Jeff Hoffman unavailable on Wednesday -- as the team begins to re-evaluate his role and help him search for his mental momentum -- the Angels capitalized on a three-run double by Schanuel and a throwing error by Braydon Fisher to pull away.
“If it’s 18 hitters, if he’s cruising... the game kind of just tells you that,” Schneider said regarding the goal for efficiency.
That quest for a traditional rhythm has been a recurring theme for Lauer. His preference for a traditional starting role has been a storyline since earlier this month. Following an appearance on April 17 where the team utilized an opener ahead of him, the veteran was blunt about the habit-breaking nature of the strategy.
“To be real blunt, I hate it. I can’t stand it,” Lauer said at the time. “Hopefully it’s not something that we will continue doing, but that’s above my pay grade.”
Schneider addressed those comments the following day, emphasizing that while he respects Lauer's perspective, the organizational focus remains on the collective outcome. The manager noted that the two had discussed the matter and Lauer was "on board" with the team’s direction.
As the Blue Jays head into an off-day on Thursday, the narrative of the rotation remains the central focus, but Schneider was encouraged by the team's offensive approach throughout the road trip.
“I think the at-bats [were good]. I really think that they're starting to kind of play off one another, and understand kind of how we're using guys,” Schneider said. “You know, the pinch-hits yesterday -- [Lenyn] Sosa and [Spencer] Miles on the course of this trip, and [Davis] Schneider. Eloy [Jiménez] swung the bat extremely well. So I think that overall, I thought we played good defense and starters gave us a chance most nights.”