Back where it all started in Eric Lauer’s Dodgers tenure

Kyle Freeland against Eric Lauer as the first-place Dodgers host the last-place Rockies is the matchup for the start of a series that represents the last Colorado visit to Los Angeles this season. Anyone’s feelings of déjà vu will be validated with this specific matchup because it has taken place once already this season; in fact, it was the duel for Lauer’s Dodgers debut.

A little over a month ago, the veteran left-hander was making his first start as a Dodger, and to be frank, his performance that game was nearly irrelevant to the result, with the Dodgers’ offense scoring 15 runs and cruising towards a blowout win. A similar type of game could very well happen again, even without the effects of Coors Field; after all, one cannot stress just how poorly this season has gone for Freeland, the pitcher with the worst ERA in baseball for anyone who has thrown at least 60 innings, at 7.25.

On a broader note, while it is easy to overlook Lauer’s contribution, one should not trivialize what he’s been able to accomplish since coming over to the Dodgers—making adjustments, including throwing his cutter far more than he was doing in his time as a Blue Jay. Between Lauer’s own terrible numbers early in the year with Toronto, Freeland’s performance, and that of several other veterans, it’s easy to illustrate the difficulty in putting together a run of starts as productive as Lauer’s after moving to a new club. The veteran southpaw is leading the Dodgers to a 6-0 record with a sub-3.00 ERA in 34.1 innings.