Eric Lauer Addresses Disastrous Start Against Cardinals

The Milwaukee Brewers saw their six-game winning streak snapped Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Much more concerning, however, was the performance of starter Eric Lauer. He labored through four innings, giving up six earned runs and struggling with his velocity.

Lauer's lacking "zoom" was a hot topic after the game.

Manager Craig Counsell admitted the lefty's velocity "is down from last year." Lauer didn't deny it either, but he doesn't seem alarmed by the obvious dip.

"It's always been kind of that I can pitch at any speed, it's just a matter of how hard it wants to come out. It's, to me, more of execution and finishing problem rather than, ‘Oh, let me just try to throw harder.’

- Eric Lauer

The starter said his drop-off simply comes from execution, though it's hard no to be a little concerned. He averaged just 90.9 mph on his four-seam fastball and only topped out at 92.7 during the loss. Lauer also posted the lowest average of his Brewers career (90.1 mph) in his first start of the season at Chicago, so it's not just a one-time thing.

These struggles, in tandem with a poor Spring Training, prompt some worries about the left-hander. He's clearly talented, though, so hopefully he's able to sort out this issue quickly.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.