Eric Lauer turns in quality start to defeat A’s

He’ll be followed by Emmet Sheehan on Saturday and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sunday. The Dodgers have not announced when Shohei Ohtani will return to the rotation. That makes it likely that it’ll be Justin Wrobleski and Eric Lauer in some order for the first two games against the Phillies in Philadelphia to open next week.

Lauer left with a three-run lead that held up until the ninth, when Tanner Scott had a rare off night. It’s the third time in four outings that Scott has allowed three runs in exactly six innings. He pitched no-hit ball for six innings in the other game during the span. Lauer isn’t slated to make another start before the break, but he could factor into Sunday’s game behind Emmet Sheehan.

Lauer gave up no hits, walked three and struck out two. He entered in the second inning as the bulk reliever after Will Klein pitched the first inning. Lauer was excellent, keeping the Twins off the scoreboard and out of the hit column for six innings. He has a 4.87 ERA. Lauer isn’t scheduled to pitch again until next week.

Will Klein gets the ball as an opener for Los Angeles before turning things over to Lauer for a bulk outing. The 31-year-old lefty has delivered a respectable 3.22 ERA and 14/5 K/BB ratio across 22 1/3 innings since being acquired from the Blue Jays last month.

Everyone would rather see River Ryan making these starts for the Dodgers, but the team is now to 4-0 in Lauer’s outings, even though Lauer has just one win during the span. He’s posted a 3.22 ERA and a 14/5 K/BB in 22 1/3 innings since being acquired from the Blue Jays. Most likely, he’ll stay in the rotation and face the Twins next Monday.

After surrendering back-to-back home runs in the opening inning, Lauer settled into a comfortable rhythm, retiring 15 of the final 16 batters he faced. He struck out five and didn’t hand out a free pass. The 31-year-old southpaw was long gone by the time Los Angeles erupted for 10 runs in the seventh inning to pull away for an easy win. He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in all three of his starts since joining the Dodgers’ rotation back on May 26. He’ll face the Rays in a home matchup on Monday.

Lauer kept the Diamondbacks off the board through two innings before giving up a solo homer to Corbin Carroll in the third. He allowed the first two runners to reach in the fifth, then gave up a run on a sacrifice fly. Lauer struck out the next batter and was replaced on the mound at 70 pitches, falling one out short of qualifying for a win. He scattered five hits and one walk while striking out just one. The 31-year-old left-hander ends the day with a 5.74 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and a 31/18 K/BB ratio across 47 innings. But Tuesday’s start makes it three runs over 10 2/3 innings with the Dodgers. Lauer lines up for a start against the Pirates in Pittsburgh next Tuesday.

Lauer, making his first start with the Dodgers, tossed a clean first inning before giving up a solo homer to Hunter Goodman in the second. He went on to scatter three more hits and one walk over four more scoreless innings, going a season-high six frames in his Dodgers debut while collecting four strikeouts. He’ll make for a risky deep-league streamer with win potential when he takes on the Diamondbacks in Arizona next Tuesday.

Lauer is available to pitch out of the bullpen this week after being plucked off waivers from the Blue Jays over the weekend. He’ll jump into Los Angeles’ rotation at some point next week as a replacement for Blake Snell, who underwent NanoScope surgery on his left elbow this week. The 30-year-old lefty is a non-factor fantasy-wise but his arrival means intriguing pitching prospect River Ryan will remain in Triple-A.

Lauer will slot into the Dodgers’ six-man rotation after being acquired from the Blue Jays in a trade over the weekend. The 30-year-old lefty struggled to a bloated 6.69 ERA across 36 1/3 innings for Toronto earlier this season. He’s unlikely to carry any semblance of fantasy value unless Los Angeles’ pitching apparatus is able to unlock something to get him back on track. It’s a noteworthy development since he’ll take over Blake Snell’s rotation spot with prospect River Ryan likely staying in the minors.