Blue Jays fans will cringe at Eric Lauer's latest bout of Dodgers dominance

When the Toronto Blue Jays designated Eric Lauer for assignment on May 11th, he was frustrated and struggling to perform—what a difference a change of scenery can make. Lauer has been a man reborn since being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, most recently throwing six hitless innings of relief against the Minnesota Twins on Monday.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have cobbled a pitching staff together amid a never-ending series of injuries. This version of Lauer would have been massively helpful.

How has Lauer turned his season around with the Dodgers?

Lauer was the unsung hero of the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched to a 3.18 ERA and 1.108 WHIP across his 28 appearances, 15 of which were starts. 

He authored a signature moment in the marathon third game of the World Series against his now teammates on the Dodgers, keeping their potent lineup quiet across 4.2 scoreless innings before the Blue Jays eventually lost in the 18th inning. Unfortunately, Lauer just wasn’t the same guy in Toronto early this season. 

After a strong performance against the Athletics during opening weekend, he pitched beyond the fifth just once—and allowed seven earned runs when he did. The Los Angeles Angels rocked him for three home runs in his final outing as a Blue Jay on May 10th. 

Lauer also made the wrong kind of headlines when he told reporters how much he hates pitching behind an opener. It was an unexpected heel turn from a player who had so selflessly done whatever the Blue Jays needed him to do in 2025. 

He seems more comfortable pitching behind an opener now with the Dodgers if his most recent outing is any indication. He has mostly started with them, however, and been the best version of himself when he has. He threw six innings of one-run ball against the Colorado Rockies in his team debut on May 26th and delivered a quality start on June 15th against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Lauer’s fastball velocity has ticked up to 91.5 mph in June after sitting at 90.4 mph in April, suggesting he’s mostly recovered from a serious case of the flu that caused him to lose weight and miss a start with the Blue Jays. That extra mile per hour matters.

As far as changes to his repertoire are concerned, Lauer’s cutter usage in June has jumped to 22.9% compared to 15.2% in May and 16.5% in April. Its velocity is also up a mile per hour compared to the beginning of the season. His slider usage, meanwhile, has dropped to just 3.6%—the lowest it’s been in any month since he returned to MLB in 2025. 

His expected stats remain a mess, but Lauer has never been an analytics darling. He outperformed expectations last year using a combination of grit, smarts, and pitchability. He doesn’t need to have a bright red Baseball Savant page to be successful. 

Lauer was clearly better than his numbers in Toronto suggested, and probably isn’t as good as what they are in Los Angeles now. The truth likely lies somewhere in between them. The Dodgers will happily take what they’re getting, though, and the Blue Jays have been left wishing they stuck with him a little longer. 

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