After Vintage Performance, Tigers Can't Fall Back In Love With Sanchez
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
As far as Anibal Sanchez is concerned, Tuesday evening was a feel-good night at Comerica Park.
The beleaguered pitcher put forth his best start of the season, resurrecting abilities that seemed lost to time. Keeping the ball down and working ahead in the count, he allowed three runs and racked up a season-high ten strikeouts. As he walked off the field in the sixth inning to a standing ovation from the hometown crowd, the present was momentarily eclipsed by the past.
"It was great watching Anibal go out there and be himself," said longtime teammate Victor Martinez. "It's a great sign. It's too bad that we couldn't get anything done for him, but he really pitched a great game."
Sanchez is a well-liked, well-respected figure in the Tigers' clubhouse. He has enjoyed many good moments in Detroit and has represented the team with class. The fans have always liked him for his stout pitching and professional conduct; his teammates have always liked him for his commitment to the game.
"There's one thing that I know the fans and the media don't see, [and] it's him in here working," Mike Aviles said. "He works every day he comes in and does his routine, and does everything he has to do in between his starts. People are just watching what's going on out there and he's had some bad luck."
Aviles then praised Sanchez' performance, noting how encouraging it was to see the former ERA-leader turn things around.
"But I will say this," he added, "he works his butt off every single day…and guys like that you always cheer for."
So good for Sanchez, for putting a halt to the hurting. Good for the fans, for acknowledging his efforts. And good for his teammates, for reveling in his redemption.
Now, back to the facts. Sanchez is still wholly unfit for the Tigers' rotation. He is still a threat to their playoff hopes. He is still a pitcher in obvious, irreversible decline. One strong start against the feeble Twins does not change any of that.
Afterward, Brad Ausmus declined to comment on whether Sanchez will make another start.
"The game just ended," the skipper said, in typically reticent fashion.
But Sanchez was much more direct.
"I feel good right now, I feel really good. I'm going to continue working. I think I'm going to be on the mound in five days, that's what I know right now," he said.
If that's indeed true – and Sanchez doubled down on his stance moments later – then Sanchez will start Sunday afternoon against the White Sox. And the Tigers, blinded by a glimpse of the past, will be doing themselves a serious disservice.
It's not as if Sanchez was reborn on Tuesday night. He wasn't suddenly back to throwing in the mid-90's – his velocity hovered between 90-92 mph for most of the game. And he wasn't suppressing scoring chances at a dominant rate – the Twins put nine runners on base in his six-plus innings of work. Had Joe Mauer, Max Kepler or Kurt Suzuki come up with big hits early on, Sanchez may have been knocked out of the game by the fourth inning.
"Same old story," we would have said.
And "same old story," we should say all the same.
Sanchez hasn't magically turned things around. He hasn't suddenly re-gained his footing after slipping and sliding for a year and a half. No, he simply pitched a solid game against a weak opponent, providing a small bright spot within an otherwise dismal season. It is critical for the Tigers to maintain that perspective.
With the current injuries to their starting rotation, it may be that the Tigers have no choice but to give Sanchez another start. That's why he took the mound last night, after all, and that's why he was standing in front of his locker afterward stating his intention to do so again. But once either Jordan Zimmermann or Daniel Norris is ready to return, it is Sanchez, still Sanchez, who must be displaced.
Tuesday night provided a cheery moment for a downtrodden player. Sanchez deserved it.
But a moment is all it was.
