Left-hander Eric Lauer, whom the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired to fill a hole in their starting rotation, will start against Colorado.
On the 25th (all times Korea time), the Dodgers, who earned a 5-1 victory in an away game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will play a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at their home stadium, Dodger Stadium, starting on the 26th.
The Dodgers revealed the three starting pitchers who will take the mound in the series against Colorado. Emmet Sheehan will start on the first day of the three-game series, Lauer will start on the 27th, and Shohei Ohtani will start the final game on the 28th.
Dodgers Nation, which covers Dodgers news, noted, "The Dodgers' starting rotation has undergone changes over the past few weeks as players have gone down with injuries, and this series against Colorado is no exception."
There are changes to the Dodgers' starting rotation. The outlet said, "It differs somewhat from the season-opening starting lineup, and it's not simply because of the absences of the injured Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell."
So far, Ohtani had followed Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Sheehan in the rotation. Yamamoto started the Milwaukee game on the 26th and earned the win with seven innings and one run allowed. Originally, Sheehan was scheduled to start the first day of the Colorado series and Ohtani the second day. But that changed.
The outlet said, "Instead of Ohtani, newly acquired Lauer will take the mound." Manager Dave Roberts will have Ohtani pitch on the final day of the three-game series because there is an off day after the Colorado series. Although Ohtani is a two-way star, it is not easy to handle both pitching and hitting.
For that reason, in some games this season he did not bat on days he appeared as a pitcher. Aside from Ohtani's schedule change, another point of interest is Lauer's start.
On the 18th the Dodgers acquired Lauer from the Toronto Blue Jays, agreeing to send cash and a player to be named later. Lauer had been placed on the release waivers (DFA) on the 12th and was effectively told he was no longer in the team's plans.
The Dodgers acquired left-hander Lauer to bolster a thinning starting rotation. Over eight major league seasons, Lauer has a 46-44 record with a 4.26 earned run average. Having primarily worked as a starter, he was expected to add depth to the rotation. With Tyler Glasnow sidelined by a back injury and Blake Snell out with elbow pain, Lauer was given a spot.
Lauer experienced championship success in 2024 with the KIA Tigers in the Korea Baseball Organization, going 2-2 with a 4.93 earned run average in seven games. But KIA decided not to re-sign him, and Lauer signed a minor league deal with Toronto to attempt a big league comeback.
With Toronto he rebounded, appearing in 28 games (15 starts) for 104 2/3 innings, going 9-2 with a 3.18 earned run average, and he reached the postseason and the World Series. However, this season he had conflicts during salary arbitration and his role was questioned, weakening his standing on the team. In addition, after appearing as an opener's follow-up he publicly expressed frustration, saying, "To be honest, I really hate it. I can't stand it. My routine was broken and it was hard. I don't want this to continue."
Ultimately his relationship with the team soured and he was placed on waivers. Lauer, who lost his standing in Toronto, now has a new opportunity in a Dodgers uniform. Attention will focus on whether he can provide a reversal for a Dodgers rotation shaken by injuries.
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