Braydon Fisher followed the opener plan, pitching a scoreless first inning before Lauer worked five innings, yielding five hits and three earned runs and taking the loss. Lauer’s 2026 line sits at 1-3 with a 7.13 ERA, one of the higher figures in baseball this season.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Lauer declined to sugarcoat the strategy, calling it “definitely different” and noting that starters are “creatures of habit.” “I hate it. I can’t stand it,” he said, adding that the team’s plan is beyond his control but not something he’s comfortable with.
This is not the first time Lauer has voiced criticism of how he’s been deployed by the Blue Jays. He also questioned the club’s usage of him last year, signaling ongoing frustration with the opener approach.
Lauer’s friction with the Jays comes in the context of a negotiated arbitration case from last year. The right-hander, who joined Toronto on a minor-league deal and emerged as a swingman with a 3.18 ERA in 28 appearances, lost his arbitration case after seeking $5.75 million compared with the team’s $4.4 million offer, a situation that lingered into the current season.
The Blue Jays entered 2026 with high expectations after last season’s World Series run, but their start has been turbulent. At 7-12 through 19 games, Toronto sits at the bottom of the AL East, dealing with injuries to several regulars — including George Springer, Addison Barger, Alejandro Kirk, and Anthony Santander — and a season-opening ACL injury to Cody Ponce.
