To say that Eric Lauer didn't enjoy coming out of the bullpen behind an opener on Friday would be an understatement.
After working five innings of three-run ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks and taking the loss, Lauer voiced his frustrations with the Toronto Blue Jays' decision to have Braydon Fisher pitch the first inning — rather than let the 30-year-old operate as a regular starter.
"It's definitely different. To be real blunt, I hate it. I can't stand it," Lauer told reporters after a 6-3 Blue Jays loss. "You work with what you got. Part of it, too, we're trying to mix some things up. We're trying to find ways to win, so I think it's a game plan we had, and I think we went out there and tried to execute the best we could.
"That's really all you can do."
The plan appeared to work out of the gates for the Blue Jays, as Fisher worked a scoreless first inning, allowing just one hit before turning the ball over to Lauer in the second.
From there, Lauer looked to get back on track from a pair of rough outings. The 30-year-old didn't allow a runner past first in the second or third against the Diamondbacks, but ran into trouble after that.
After Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, Nolan Arenado delivered a quick response for Arizona with a solo shot off Lauer. Then, in the fifth, Corbin Carroll and Jose Fernandez brought home two more runs off Lauer, giving the Diamondbacks a lead of their own.
And while Lauer went on to work a scoreless sixth, it didn't change his opinion on the opener strategy.
"It messes with your pre-game routine," he said. "We're creatures of habit. It changes the rhythm and routine. It's a little harder to time things out...
"You can make it work the best you can. Hopefully, it's not something that we will continue doing. But that's above my pay grade."
The three earned runs actually lowered Lauer's ERA to 7.13 on the season.
The eight-year MLB veteran has had a tough go of things following his nine-strikeout performance to open the season.
Lauer surrendered nine combined runs between his starts against the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins — the first of which was limited to two innings by a bout of the flu.
If the Blue Jays stay on turn for their next trip through the rotation, Lauer's next start will come on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels.
