Terry Foster: Pull Sanchez After The Fifth, No Matter What
By Terry Foster
The Family Deal
Tiger's pitcher Anibal Sanchez has been a disaster on the mound. He's also been dominate at the same time.
That doesn't make sense. Neither does Sanchez and in some regards neither does my radical ideal to make Sanchez an important cog for the Tigers during the stretch run.
Here is my idea. Tigers manager Brad Ausmus should pull Sanchez after the fifth inning, no matter what. It does not matter if he is ahead by three runs. It does not matter if he is pitching a shutout.
The man is no good in the sixth inning and beyond. He is so bad that it has gotten into his head.
Here are the ugly numbers on Sanchez. He is 3-5 with a 6.23 earned run average and a WHIP of 1.59 this season. They are hardly Hall of Fame numbers.
But let's put the magnifying glass on some of those statistics.
Here are Sanchez's inning by inning splits.
First inning: 7.00ERA, 1.67 WHIP
Second inning: 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
Third inning: 6.48 ERA, 1.56 WHIP
Fourth inning: 7.78 ERA, 1.63 WHIP
Fifth inning: 0.00 ERA, 0.88 WHIP
Sixth inning: 22.85 ERA, 3.23 WHIP
Seventh inning: 18.00 ERA, 5.00 WHIP
The man loses it every time after the fifth inning. I am not saying the numbers are great before the sixth but he turns into a softball pitcher in the sixth.
My idea is unconventional, but it has been done with older pitchers. They are five and fly guys. I am not certain I'd actually do it if I were manager. However, I'd have somebody warming up in the bullpen and I'd get him out in the sixth after Sanchez gives up his first hit. You know what's coming.
Yes, it does tax the bullpen. But Sanchez taxes the Tigers in general with his poor pitching. You cannot trade him because who wants to pay this guy $16 million a year for five innings of work. The Tigers might be stuck with him so they might as well make the best of what they've got.
It is time to make Sanchez a five and fly guy.
(Foster can be reached at Terry.Foster@cbsradio.com. Twitter: TerryFoster971.)