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Lauer in form as Blue Jays dump Diamondbacks 8-1

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TORONTO – Pitcher Eric Lauer has done a little bit of everything for the Toronto Blue Jays since his season debut seven weeks ago.

The 30-year-old left-hander has worked in short relief, served in a bulk role and is now used as a spot starter.

He has been getting results every step of the way.

Lauer was in top form Wednesday night, allowing one earned run over five-plus innings in an 8-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Rogers Centre.

“He has been really damn good,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider.

Lauer (3-1) had a season-high eight strikeouts and allowed four hits and a walk. Over his last five appearances, he has given up three earned runs over 19 innings and held opponents to a .136 average.

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He credits fastball command for his solid performance this season.

“Speeding guys up, slowing them down, moving them in and out and up and down — that’s pitching to me,” Lauer said. “To me, I’m a pitcher. I’ve never been an overpowering guy. I’ve never been just a stuff guy. I’m not going to out-stuff people.

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“But I think I can make my pitches play up better than they actually are based on how I can throw my fastball.”

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Bo Bichette hit a leadoff homer off Eduardo Rodriguez (2-4) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in three runs for the Blue Jays (40-33), who will go for a three-game sweep Thursday afternoon.

Bichette and Addison Barger had three hits apiece while Guerrero reached base five times. He had a single, double and three walks.

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Toronto has won 11 of its last 12 home games and earned 14 victories over its last 19 games overall.

Lauer threw five shutout frames before he was pulled after giving up a leadoff triple to Corbin Carroll in the sixth.

With Yariel Rodriguez on in relief, Carroll scored the lone run for Arizona (36-37) on a groundout by Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Toronto answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning and broke the game open with a three-run seventh. The Blue Jays improved to 15-8 in interleague play.


Lauer has made four starts this season in a rotation anchored by veteran right-handers Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt.

Max Scherzer made only one start due to a thumb issue and Bowden Francis was mostly ineffective before landing on the IL this week due to a shoulder impingement.

Lauer has filled in admirably when needed and has likely earned himself a temporary spot in the five-man mix.

“Over the course of the year, your depth is going to get tested,” Schneider said. “So to have a guy like him step up has been awesome.”

A first-round pick (No. 25 overall) by San Diego in 2016, Lauer made his big-league debut with the Padres in 2018.

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He later spent parts of four seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers before splitting last year between Triple-A and the Korean league.

Lauer signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays last December and his contract was selected from Triple-A Buffalo on April 30.

Since then, he has posted an impressive 2.29 earned-run average over 10 appearances with 36 strikeouts against just 11 walks.

“Your best ability is availability,” Lauer said. “So I just try to go out there and do my job every time I’m called.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025.

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Crown Royal bottler closing down Ontario plant, moving operations to U.S.

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Spirits maker Diageo will cease operations at its bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont., early next year, as it shifts some bottling volume to the U.S., the company announced on Thursday.

The facility, which bottles Crown Royal products, will close in February in a move aimed at improving its North American supply chain.

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About 200 jobs will be affected.

“This was a difficult decision, but one that is crucial to improving the efficiency and resiliency of our supply chain network,” Marsha McIntosh, Diageo’s president of North America supply, said in a statement.

Diageo said it will engage with the community and find ways to support its employees through the transition, and work alongside Unifor to assist unionized workers.

The company said it will still maintain a “significant” footprint in Canada — including its headquarters and warehouse operations in the Greater Toronto Area, and bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec.

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McIntosh added the company’s Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged at its Canadian facilities.

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Man faces attempted murder charge after two men struck by car in Toronto: police

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Toronto police say a 33-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly striking two men with his car Wednesday evening.

Officers say they responded to reports of a collision in the area of Don Mills Road and Gateway Boulevard in the city’s North York neighbourhood just before 10:30 p.m.

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Police say two men got into an argument, leading to one man getting into his car and hitting the other man with it.

They say the man then put his car into reverse, striking a second man.

A man in his 50s was transported to hospital with serious injuries and the second man, in his 20s, had minor injuries.

Police say the suspect from Markham, Ont., faces several other charges as well, including two counts of assault with a weapon, uttering threats and dangerous driving.


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Intruder in Ontario home invasion case carried a crossbow, court docs say

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A court document shows a Lindsay, Ont., man facing charges for allegedly breaking into an apartment was carrying a crossbow when he was confronted by a tenant.

The resident, Jeremy David McDonald, is also facing assault charges in the incident on Aug. 18 — a fact that has generated widespread interest in the case.

Police information filed in court alleges that Michael Kyle Breen damaged a window and screen at McDonald’s home and carried a crossbow.

The court document says the 41-year-old Breen is charged with break and enter, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, mischief under $5,000 and failing to comply with a probation order.

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Police have said that Breen, who is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing next week, was already wanted for unrelated offences.

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McDonald, the 44-year-old resident, was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon after he allegedly “did endanger the life” of Breen.

Premier Doug Ford blasted the decision to charge the apartment resident, saying last week that it shows “something is broken.”

Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Kirk Robertson wrote in a statement Wednesday that he recognizes the incident has generated significant public interest and “emotional” responses, but called some of the reaction “unjust and inaccurate.”

Robertson wrote that individuals have the right to defend themselves and their property, but the law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced.

“This means that while homeowners do have the right to protect themselves and their property, the use of force must be reasonable given the circumstances,” he wrote.


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