Midview High product Eric Lauer on a roll with Blue Jays, says his stuff, confidence at an all-time high

CLEVELAND — Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer was born in Elyria and became a standout pitcher at Midview High School and Kent State University. Not surprisingly, he grew up a fan of Cleveland's baseball team. "I loved watching CC (Sabathia). I liked Cliff Lee a lot. My early mechanics were kind of modeled after him a little bit," Lauer said. "I loved Jim Thome. Actually, my first grade teacher was Jim Thome's cousin and I was just fascinated by that and I was like, 'You know Jim Thome?' He was one of the all-time greats. It's an easy guy to root for. "Omar Vizquel, shoot, the list can keep going. I loved watching baseball and I loved the Indians as a kid. It was a fun time." Facing Lauer in his second career start in Cleveland on Tuesday wasn't much fun for the Guardians, who managed only a run on five hits over 5 1/3 innings and struck out five times against him in a 10-6 loss. Lauer, who held Cleveland scoreless over the first five innings on four hits, got the win with an estimated 50 to 60 family members and friends in attendance. He lasted three times through the order, something starters don't often do these days. "That's why I like pitching so much. It's like a chess match. I enjoy that part of the game," he said. "It's kind of something that's becoming a little bit more rare these days, for starters to go through (the order) a third time. It makes it interesting, and I like it." Lauer's performance against the Guardians continued an impressive stretch with Toronto that has resurrected his uncertain MLB career. He's posted a 4-1 record, 2.21 ERA and 1.008 WHIP in 11 games (five starts), while striking out 41 over 40 2/3 innings. Lauer, 30, was good at times with the Padres after being drafted in the first round (25th overall) in 2016, and experienced success during his four-year tenure in Milwaukee. But he didn't appear in a big league game last year, spending a brief stint in Korea. "I feel like so far I'm putting together probably the best I've (ever) been," Lauer said. "Stuff-wise, I'm just more confident with everything I have. I think I have a good spread throughout. "The execution is the biggest part for me. As long as I can focus on executing each pitch to the best of my ability, usually the outcome is pretty good." Though he's pitched out of the bullpen during different stages of his career, it's clear which role Lauer prefers. "I'm a starter and I want to be a starter," he said. "The fifth spot in the rotation is kind of up in the air here, so I'm going out there and trying to take it every time." Now until the end of the season, the focus is on staying healthy enough to keep it going. "Honestly it's just making sure that I'm doing everything I need to do between starts to make sure my body's in the best place possible, making sure I'm on top of my legs and not letting them get too taxed," he said. "Keeping the arm in shape, I think that's kind of something that just happens. We play catch a lot. It's what we do. I don't think it's as much arm maintenance as it is making sure my lower half is ready to go, and I think that's big for the velocity, too." Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on X @CAwesomeheimer.