So the Jays signed Casey Lawrence on Monday and DFA him on Wednesday. That’s the life of a journeyman pitcher without options.
And the team didn’t know that Bowden Francis would go just three innings yesterday. When that happened, I figured we would need another pitcher for tonight.
Eric Lauer is a lefty pitcher, 29 (turns 30 in early June). He’s thrown 596 innings in the majors, split between the Padres and the Brewers. He has a 4.30 ERA with 230 walks and 567 strikeouts. Batters have hit .254/.325/.431 against him in his career.
He wasn’t good last year, with a 6.56 ERA in 10 games, 9 starts. Batters hit .292/.370/.616 against him. This year he’s made 5 starts for the Bisons with a 4.50 ERA. In 24 innings, he’s allowed 24 hits, with 6 walks and 21 strikeouts.
Eric throws a four-seamer averaging 90.8 mph, last year.He also throws a pretty good changeup. and has a slider and curve.
Lauer isn’t the starter tonight; Yariel Rodriguez gets the start. Lauer will likely be the ‘bulk man’.
Erik Swanson had a setback:
A setback for Erik Swanson, who was slated to pitch in a rehab game yesterday but felt forearm soreness & elected to play it safe. Swanson will head to Toronto for further evaluation.
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) April 30, 2025
In today’s lineups, Barger plays RF. We were told he would play third a lot, but it seems not tonight. At least Gimenez has moved down the lineup.