Let's remember where the Blue Jays were when Lauer made his first start on May 17. They were two game under .500. Max Scherzer had only thrown three innings and wasn't set to rejoin the rotation for at least another month. And Bowden Francis was floundering as the number five starter. But at Rogers Centre, in that game against the Detroit Tigers, Lauer pitched three innings of three hit ball and allowed one run in an eventual 2-1 walk-off win for the Blue Jays.
We know the games mean a little bit more when the Toronto Blue Jays are actively trying to match up their pitchers against specific competition. It's also been a while since they've had the luxury of being able to say they are truly six starters deep and any one of them can give the Blue Jays a chance to win on any given night.