Toronto Blue Jays lefty Eric Lauer explains neck issues following loss to Los Angeles Angels
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Eric Lauer took the ball for the Toronto Blue Jays in their 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday afternoon at Angel Stadium.
Eric Lauer did not factor into the decision against the Angels, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out three.
In the outing Lauer had what appeared to be some kind of blue tape on the back of his neck indicating he may be suffering some kind of neck injury.
In a postgame interview with Sportsnet's Hazel Mae, manager John Schneider said he didn’t know if there was anything wrong with Lauer until he saw the tape behind his neck in the game.
John Schneider didn’t know if there was anything wrong with Lauer until he saw the tape behind his neck in the game: “Didn't hear anything about that until I saw it on him. So I checked with him, said he felt fine. Stuff was pretty light today though, so we’ll see how he is.”
Following Schneider's comments Mae spoke with Lauer about it and he indicated that it was just precautionary.
Eric Lauer said the tape on his neck was precautionary: “We're trying to fix some things posture wise.. when I'm sitting, l've been having a little neck issues.. it's more like a reminder to keep my head back and make sure I'm not slouching or anything.”
Lauer projects to be in a swingman role with the upcoming return of Trey Yesavage
While the injury news is good, Lauer avoided a fourth-straight loss Wednesday, the left-hander has yet to make it through six innings in five outings this season.
Overall, Lauer is 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 19:12 K:BB across 22.2 innings.
For Lauer, the outing served as a significant data point in an increasingly crowded pitching hierarchy, especially with the organization’s No. 1 prospect, Trey Yesavage, nearing a return.
While Lauer provided the innings on Wednesday, the three runs allowed leave the front office with a difficult decision.
His profile as a fly ball pitcher, evidenced by the two home runs given up today, continues to make him a candidate for a swingman or long-relief role if the team decides it's time to bring Yesavage back into the rotation.
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