Los Angeles Dodgers starter Eric Lauer has been a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers since arriving in May, and is making a real case to remain in the rotation when the Dodgers are at full strength.
Lauer made his fifth appearance with the Dodgers on Monday, following opener Will Klein into the game. While Lauer has openly opposed openers in the past, he responded well to the opportunity and hurled six no-hit innings.
“He was great,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t think he had his best stuff, but I think that he did a good job of changing speeds, executing pitches, and letting those guys put the ball in play. And he controlled the pace of the game and took down a lot of hitters, got us to the eighth inning.”
The Dodgers are currently running a six-man rotation, using Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski and Lauer. The Dodgers also have front line starters on the injured list in Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell.
Glasnow and Snell both command a spot in the rotation, so the Dodgers will have to clear out two spots when they return. While Lauer certainly wasn’t a favorite to keep his spot when he first arrived in Los Angeles, he could maintain his spot now.
He has a 2.54 ERA with the Dodgers through 28.1 innings pitched, and has 16 strikeouts. He has struggled with home runs, allowing five so far in a Dodgers uniform, but outside of the long ball he has been better than the Dodgers could have hoped.
Who Would Move Out of the Rotation If Eric Lauer Stays in it?
Sheehan is the most obvious choice to move out of the rotation when Glasgow or Snell return, at least based on recent performance.
The right-hander has had a disastrous month of June, earning a loss in all four of his starts and posting a 7.31 ERA through the month. His strongest outing of the month came against the Arizona Diamondbacks at the beginning of June, when he only allowed two runs through 6.1 innings pitched.
Through his last three starts, though, he has allowed 11 runs through 8.2 innings pitched.
Other than Sheehan, the conversation would likely be between Lauer and Wrobleski for the final spot.
Wrobleski has taken full advantage of his shot in the Dodgers’ rotation this season, posting a 2.72 ERA through 13 appearances on the year. Wrobleski has 50 strikeouts through 79.1 innings pitched, and has been fantastic as of late with two shutout six-inning performances in June.
Who the Dodgers decide the go with between the two is anyone’s guess at the moment, but Wrboleski likely has the edge. If Lauer stays hot for the Dodgers, though, he could very well lay claim to the sixth spot in the rotation.
Do you think Eric Lauer can stay in the Dodgers’ rotation all season?
5 Responses
Yes of course they keep Lauer in the rotation.
A better question is should they find a veteran catcher who can hit?
Well, Hell Yes.
Yes, definitely.
Def gets nod over Sheehan. My be non issue for forseeable future given how slow glasnow is recovering
Lauer in, Sasaki out?