DETROIT -- Six weeks ago, Anibal Sanchez's major league career was in jeopardy.
The right-hander had a 9.00 ERA in 11 relief outings, having allowed nine homers in 21 innings. With a $16.8 million salary, the Detroit Tigers were doing everything they could to keep him on the roster, but time was running out.
In a last roll of the dice, Sanchez agreed to go to Triple-A Toledo on May 19 to work back into shape as a starting pitcher. It wasn't an overwhelming success -- he had a 4.60 ERA in four starts -- but when Matt Boyd lost his spot in the rotation, the Tigers turned to the 33-year-old Sanchez.
Thus far, it has paid off. Sanchez gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings of Detroit's 7-4 win over the Cleveland Indians in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
"This was definitely my best outing all year," he said. "I could locate my fastball on both sides of the plate, which lets me use my breaking ball."
Sanchez has a 3.12 ERA in three starts since his month in Toledo, and has only allowed one homer.
"He's put together three really good starts, and this one was a great performance against a very good lineup," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "I give him a lot of credit for going down and finding a way to make this work."
Sanchez left in the seventh with a 4-2 lead, but reliever Daniel Stumpf immediately gave up a two-run homer to Carlos Santana.
In the bottom of the inning, with one out and J.D. Martinez on first, Nicholas Castellanos hit his fifth triple of the season off the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center to put the Tigers back in front.
Bryan Shaw (2-3) intentionally walked Victor Martinez, putting runners at the corners, but Mikie Mahtook flared an RBI single to left to make it 6-4. James McCann's single brought home Victor Martinez to give Detroit a three-run lead.
Shane Greene (2-2) finished the seventh for Detroit and picked up the win after Castellanos' triple. Justin Wilson pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Indians starter Josh Tomlin ran into trouble in the second, but center fielder Bradley Zimmer made a diving catch to rob Mahtook of a run-scoring hit. Tomlin hit McCann with a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but Jose Iglesias bounced into a force at second.
The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the third on a sacrifice fly by Jason Kipnis, but the Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back homers by J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera.
"They have a lineup of pretty good hitters, so when you add in J.D. and Miggy and they are swinging the bat well, it makes it difficult," Tomlin said. "I was just behind in too many counts."
Iglesias made it 4-1 in the fourth with a two-run double just beyond Zimmer's glove.
Lonnie Chisenhall's seventh-inning single made it 4-2 and chased Sanchez. He received a standing ovation and tipped his cap to the crowd.
"He's always had a really good changeup, but he's throwing it more now," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He mixes his fastball in and out, just trying to keep you off the changeup."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Indians: Before Friday's rainout, Cleveland planned to use reliever Dan Otero to start one of Saturday's games -- the first start of his career. LHP Ryan Merritt was going to be Cleveland's 26th man as an extra arm in the bullpen, and even though Otero wasn't needed as a starter, the Indians kept Merritt as their extra player for the doubleheader.
Tigers: LF Justin Upton was a late scratch with right side soreness. Upton was going to take swings before the nightcap in an attempt to play. ... Boyd, who had originally been scheduled to start one of Saturday's games, stayed with the Tigers as their 26th man for bullpen insurance.
BUILDING OFF HIS FASTBALL
Sanchez said his improved fastball command lets him use his "butterfly" pitches -- a curveball that comes in around 75 mph and a slow changeup that can drop as low as 64 mph. "I have to make sure they are off balance, or they will get hit hard," he said. "If I can throw 91 (mph) to both sides of the plate, that makes it harder for them to adjust to 65 or 70 (mph)."
He joked that his pitches are drawing attention from the commissioner's office.
"I got drug tested the other day," Sanchez said. "They said my pitches were too slow."
UP NEXT
Indians: Carlos Carrasco (8-3, 3.67 ERA) was scheduled to start the nightcap for Cleveland. He had pitched 21 times against the Tigers, including 16 starts, and was 7-7 with a 4.85 ERA.
Tigers: Jordan Zimmermann (5-5, 5.53) was set to pitch the second game. Zimmermann was 0-1 with a 4.39 ERA in his past four starts.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
The right-hander had a 9.00 ERA in 11 relief outings, having allowed nine homers in 21 innings. With a $16.8 million salary, the Detroit Tigers were doing everything they could to keep him on the roster, but time was running out.
In a last roll of the dice, Sanchez agreed to go to Triple-A Toledo on May 19 to work back into shape as a starting pitcher. It wasn't an overwhelming success -- he had a 4.60 ERA in four starts -- but when Matt Boyd lost his spot in the rotation, the Tigers turned to the 33-year-old Sanchez.
Thus far, it has paid off. Sanchez gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings of Detroit's 7-4 win over the Cleveland Indians in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
"This was definitely my best outing all year," he said. "I could locate my fastball on both sides of the plate, which lets me use my breaking ball."
Sanchez has a 3.12 ERA in three starts since his month in Toledo, and has only allowed one homer.
"He's put together three really good starts, and this one was a great performance against a very good lineup," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "I give him a lot of credit for going down and finding a way to make this work."
Sanchez left in the seventh with a 4-2 lead, but reliever Daniel Stumpf immediately gave up a two-run homer to Carlos Santana.
In the bottom of the inning, with one out and J.D. Martinez on first, Nicholas Castellanos hit his fifth triple of the season off the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center to put the Tigers back in front.
Bryan Shaw (2-3) intentionally walked Victor Martinez, putting runners at the corners, but Mikie Mahtook flared an RBI single to left to make it 6-4. James McCann's single brought home Victor Martinez to give Detroit a three-run lead.
Shane Greene (2-2) finished the seventh for Detroit and picked up the win after Castellanos' triple. Justin Wilson pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Indians starter Josh Tomlin ran into trouble in the second, but center fielder Bradley Zimmer made a diving catch to rob Mahtook of a run-scoring hit. Tomlin hit McCann with a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but Jose Iglesias bounced into a force at second.
The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the third on a sacrifice fly by Jason Kipnis, but the Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back homers by J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera.
"They have a lineup of pretty good hitters, so when you add in J.D. and Miggy and they are swinging the bat well, it makes it difficult," Tomlin said. "I was just behind in too many counts."
Iglesias made it 4-1 in the fourth with a two-run double just beyond Zimmer's glove.
Lonnie Chisenhall's seventh-inning single made it 4-2 and chased Sanchez. He received a standing ovation and tipped his cap to the crowd.
"He's always had a really good changeup, but he's throwing it more now," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He mixes his fastball in and out, just trying to keep you off the changeup."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Indians: Before Friday's rainout, Cleveland planned to use reliever Dan Otero to start one of Saturday's games -- the first start of his career. LHP Ryan Merritt was going to be Cleveland's 26th man as an extra arm in the bullpen, and even though Otero wasn't needed as a starter, the Indians kept Merritt as their extra player for the doubleheader.
Tigers: LF Justin Upton was a late scratch with right side soreness. Upton was going to take swings before the nightcap in an attempt to play. ... Boyd, who had originally been scheduled to start one of Saturday's games, stayed with the Tigers as their 26th man for bullpen insurance.
BUILDING OFF HIS FASTBALL
Sanchez said his improved fastball command lets him use his "butterfly" pitches -- a curveball that comes in around 75 mph and a slow changeup that can drop as low as 64 mph. "I have to make sure they are off balance, or they will get hit hard," he said. "If I can throw 91 (mph) to both sides of the plate, that makes it harder for them to adjust to 65 or 70 (mph)."
He joked that his pitches are drawing attention from the commissioner's office.
"I got drug tested the other day," Sanchez said. "They said my pitches were too slow."
UP NEXT
Indians: Carlos Carrasco (8-3, 3.67 ERA) was scheduled to start the nightcap for Cleveland. He had pitched 21 times against the Tigers, including 16 starts, and was 7-7 with a 4.85 ERA.
Tigers: Jordan Zimmermann (5-5, 5.53) was set to pitch the second game. Zimmermann was 0-1 with a 4.39 ERA in his past four starts.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Cleveland - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Anibal Sanchez pitching for Detroit | CLE | DET |
| Kipnis lined out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Lindor struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Brantley lined out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Josh Tomlin pitching for Cleveland | CLE | DET |
| Kinsler flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| den Dekker walked. | 0 | 0 |
| J.D. Martinez grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, den Dekker out at second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cleveland - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Anibal Sanchez pitching for Detroit | CLE | DET |
| Encarnación flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Ramírez grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Chisenhall struck out looking. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Josh Tomlin pitching for Cleveland | CLE | DET |
| Cabrera walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Castellanos singled to left, Cabrera to second. | 0 | 0 |
| V. Martínez struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Mahtook lined out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| McCann hit by pitch, Cabrera to third, Castellanos to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Iglesias grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, McCann out at second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cleveland - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Anibal Sanchez pitching for Detroit | CLE | DET |
| Santana singled to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Zimmer struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Gomes hit a ground rule double to deep right, Santana to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Kipnis hit sacrifice fly to center, Santana scored. | 1 | 0 |
| Lindor flied out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Josh Tomlin pitching for Cleveland | CLE | DET |
| Kinsler flied out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| den Dekker grounded out to second. | 1 | 0 |
| J.D. Martinez homered to left (402 feet). | 1 | 1 |
| Cabrera homered to left center (399 feet). | 1 | 2 |
| Castellanos lined out to third. | 1 | 2 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cleveland - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Anibal Sanchez pitching for Detroit | CLE | DET |
| Brantley lined out to shortstop. | 1 | 2 |
| Encarnación walked. | 1 | 2 |
| Ramírez flied out to right. | 1 | 2 |
| Chisenhall popped out to third. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Josh Tomlin pitching for Cleveland | CLE | DET |
| V. Martínez singled to right. | 1 | 2 |
| Mahtook singled to left, V. Martínez to second. | 1 | 2 |
| McCann struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| Iglesias doubled to center, V. Martínez and Mahtook scored. | 1 | 4 |
| Kinsler singled to center, Iglesias to third, Kinsler thrown out at second attempting to advance on play. | 1 | 4 |
| den Dekker struck out swinging. | 1 | 4 |
| 2 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cleveland - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Anibal Sanchez pitching for Detroit | CLE | DET |
| Santana flied out to center. | 1 | 4 |
| Zimmer struck out swinging. | 1 | 4 |
| Gomes struck out swinging. | 1 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Josh Tomlin pitching for Cleveland | CLE | DET |
| J.D. Martinez lined out to left. | 1 | 4 |
| Cabrera fouled out to catcher. | 1 | 4 |
| Castellanos doubled to left. | 1 | 4 |
| McAllister relieved Tomlin. | 1 | 4 |
| V. Martínez grounded out to second. | 1 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cleveland - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Anibal Sanchez pitching for Detroit | CLE | DET |
| Kipnis fouled out to third. | 1 | 4 |
| Lindor grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 4 |
| Brantley lined out to left. | 1 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Zach McAllister pitching for Cleveland | CLE | DET |
| Mahtook struck out looking. | 1 | 4 |
| McCann hit by pitch. | 1 | 4 |
| Iglesias singled to center, McCann to second. | 1 | 4 |
| Kinsler struck out swinging. | 1 | 4 |
| den Dekker struck out swinging. | 1 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cleveland - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Anibal Sanchez pitching for Detroit | CLE | DET |
| Encarnación flied out to left. | 1 | 4 |
| Ramírez doubled to deep right. | 1 | 4 |
| Chisenhall singled to center, Ramírez scored. | 2 | 4 |
| Stumpf relieved Sánchez. | 2 | 4 |
| Santana homered to right (392 feet), Chisenhall scored. | 4 | 4 |
| Zimmer grounded out to first. | 4 | 4 |
| Greene relieved Stumpf. | 4 | 4 |
| Gomes walked. | 4 | 4 |
| Kipnis flied out to left. | 4 | 4 |
| 3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Bryan Shaw pitching for Cleveland | CLE | DET |
| Shaw relieved McAllister. | 4 | 4 |
| J.D. Martinez walked. | 4 | 4 |
| Cabrera flied out to right. | 4 | 4 |
| Castellanos tripled to deep right, J.D. Martinez scored. | 4 | 5 |
| V. Martínez intentionally walked. | 4 | 5 |
| Mahtook singled to left, Castellanos scored, V. Martínez to second. | 4 | 6 |
| McCann singled to left, V. Martínez scored, McCann out at first, Mahtook to second. | 4 | 7 |
| Armstrong relieved Shaw. | 4 | 7 |
| Iglesias lined out to first. | 4 | 7 |
| 3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cleveland - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Bruce Rondon pitching for Detroit | CLE | DET |
| Rondón relieved Greene. | 4 | 7 |
| Lindor lined out to first. | 4 | 7 |
| Brantley singled to center. | 4 | 7 |
| Encarnación flied out to right. | 4 | 7 |
| Ramírez grounded out to pitcher. | 4 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Shawn Armstrong pitching for Cleveland | CLE | DET |
| Kinsler popped out to second. | 4 | 7 |
| den Dekker lined out to right. | 4 | 7 |
| J.D. Martinez singled to center. | 4 | 7 |
| Cabrera flied out to right. | 4 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cleveland - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Justin Wilson pitching for Detroit | CLE | DET |
| Romine at third base. | 4 | 7 |
| J. Wilson relieved Rondón. | 4 | 7 |
| Chisenhall struck out swinging. | 4 | 7 |
| Santana flied out to left. | 4 | 7 |
| Guyer hit for Zimmer. | 4 | 7 |
| Guyer struck out swinging. | 4 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
1:10 PM ET, July 1, 2017
Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
Game Notes
| RF UPTON (RIGHT SIDE SORENESS) SCRATCHED FROM THE STARTING LINEUP |
Game Information
| Stadium | Comerica Park, Detroit, MI |
| Attendance | 28,719 (69.1% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:59 |
| Weather | 78 degrees, partly cloudy |
| Wind | 11 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Jeff Kellogg, First Base - Ryan Blakney, Second Base - James Hoye, Third Base - Will Little |
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