No skunks allowed, Sanchez impresses

By Bob Elliott

Like many of the previous 26 home dates at the Rogers Centre there was a bit of a crisis.

It wasn’t a starter failing to go five, the first base dugout challenging Jose Bautista to a dust up or an infielder playing the outfield only to turn a routine can-of-peas fly ball into a run-scoring double.

No, this was something completely different before Friday night’s game.

Trying to enter the hallowed Rogers Centre at first Gate 5 and then Gate 6 was a skunk. The four-legged variety, not the kind who refused to approve a trade to the frozen tundra of the north.

Had Monsieur Le Pew made it under the turn styles, like the 22,971 others on two legs, he would have seen a dominant performance by right-hander Aaron Sanchez as he came close to skunking the first-place Houston Astros, who lead the American League in home runs.

Jason Castro’s lead-off homer in the ninth ended his shut out bid. Two singles later Sanchez was gone. And after three Roberto Osuna struck out the side the Jays had a 6-2 win to move to within four games below .500, ending Houston’s seven-game winning streak against the Jays. 

Sanchez threw 103 pitches, 66 for strikes and -- believe it or else Mr. Ripley -- all but 11 were fastballs in the 93-94 MPH range ... or 89%. Pitching coach Pete Walker said Sanchez is usually around 70% fastballs each outing. But Friday was different. Catcher Russell Martin called 40 straight fastballs from the first pitch of the 11-pitch third, the seven-pitch fourth, the 14-pitch fifth and the first eight of the 12-pitch sixth.

“His fastball had a lot of movement, but never the same movement,” said Martin. “He didn’t walk anyone but he kept getting into hitter’s counts, so we challenged them. Sometimes his fastball sinks this much, sometimes it sinks more and other times he pulls and it cuts.”

Martin said he could not recall signalling for 40-straight fastball before but catching Sanchez reminded him of squatting for Derek Lowe, whose fastball sunk or Bartolo Colon for the sheer number of fastballs.

“They’re a great fastball hitting team, but it shows good pitching beats good hitting,” said Martin, who called fastballs for all but one of the 17 pitches to slugger Chris Carter (two ground balls and a strike out). 

“You could see him step off the mound, gather himself behind the mound and make adjustments when he was behind in the count.

“He has a gift.”

Rally Skunk: The black and white varmint was in town for the weekend from parts unknown and wanted to catch a game. He simply didn’t want to be caught.

He wanted to see how stinky things have been this season inside. Ushers tried (carefully) to steer the Pepe Le Pew look alike from the entrance so paying customers could enter.

Animal control was called and arrived, but the skunk took evasive action scurrying up the stairs outside the stadium escaping into the wilds of downtown Toronto.

“Maybe it was a Rally Skunk,” someone wondered before the first pitch, “like the way the Angels put up a picture of the Rally Monkey on the board when they are losing late.”

Kevin Pillar opened the third with a single on a 1-1 pitch from Roberto Hernandez and after Ryan Goins popped up in a five-pitch at-bat, Jose Reyes lined the first pitch he saw to right for a two-run homer. Donaldson singled on the first pitch he saw and Bautista got his leg up and down early to turn on a 1-1 pitch off the facing of the third deck. Edwin Encarnacion doubled on a 1-1 pitch which bounced past centre fielder Rasmus and scored when Chris Colabello singled on a 1-2 pitch.

BIFF! BOOM! POW! 

Holy 20 pitches Bat Man!

Sanchez sizzles: Sanchez set down the first nine Astros in order before George Springer reached on an infield single to Donaldson, who made a fine play to his right, did a spinarama move and threw to first too late to get Springer. 

Reyes and Goins turned a double play, as they did in the fifth after Colby Rasmus had singled.

The Castro homer off Sanchez ended the Jays run of 20 consecutive scoreless innings.

“He had great action on his fastball,” Walker said. “That’s as good as sink as I’ve ever seen him have. When That many fastballs is unusual, but when you’re facing an aggressive swinging team like that ...

“Russell had confidence in it.”

Ah, yes.

In the first 12 of his 16 pitches were high hard ones, he went 8-for-9 with his fastball in the second, then 40 straight, including 11-for-12 fastballs in the sixth, 9-for-11 in the seventh, 8-for-10 in the eighth and 12-for-13 in the ninth.

Of the 24 outs Sanchez recorded 14 were on ground balls, five on fly balls and he struck out three.
Jonathan Villar and Springer singled to end Sanchez’s night and bring on Osuna, with Villar scoring on Martin’s wild throw to second. 

Sam Eye Am: Martin was thrown out stealing by catcher Jason Castro to end the third. Crew chief John Hirschbeck and second base ump Sam Holbrook put the head sets on and talked to the big umps in the control room in New York sky. It took four minutes and 25 seconds and oh maybe 30 replays of Martin’s head first slide and Altuve’s tag before New York told the umpiring crew that Sam was right all along.

Numbers: The Jays have a plus-39 run differential despite being four games under .500. 
“You hope that things will even out,” said manager John Gibbons. 

Recovering: Devon Travis (left shoulder), who had a setback on May 29 does not have a timetable for a return.
“We’ve come this far, let’s get this completely resolved, healed, let’s not try and grind through this,” Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said. “If it was the playoffs, sure, he’d be playing through it. Hopefully it’s not that much longer. We’ll re-evaluate early next week.”

Numbers: The Jays have a plus-39 run differential despite being four games under .500. 
“You hope that things will even out,” said manager John Gibbons. 

Recovering: Devon Travis (left shoulder), who had a setback on May 29 does not have a timetable for a return.
“We’ve come this far, let’s get this completely resolved, healed, let’s not try and grind through this,” Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said. “If it was the playoffs, sure, he’d be playing through it. Hopefully it’s not that much longer. We’ll re-evaluate early next week.”

Soriano watching: Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos seldom if ever comments on other players. So, when he confirmed reports the Jays were looking at free-agent reliever Rafael Soriano, you have to number what number will Soriano will wear when he joins the Toronto bullpen.
Uniform No. 29 that he wore last year with the Washington Nationals or No. 39 he sported with the Seattle Mariners as a rookie?

“We’re engaging in talks, and I’m not foreshadowing anything getting done, and probably nothing moves now until after the draft,” Anthopoulos told reporters. “It’s fair to say, there’s been the rumors out there and that’s someone (Soriano) we looked into.”

Of course the Jays aren’t the only team in need of bullpen help. The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals are also interested in Soriano. The Cards have Trevor Rosenthal (17-for-18 in save opportunities) while the Cubs have Hector Rondon (10-for-13).

On the season the Jays are 6-for-15 closing out games (which includes Miguel Castro going 4-for-6 before being demoted to triple-A Buffalo). Current closer Brett Cecil 2-for-3. There may be a better opportunity for Soriano to close with the Jays than the other two clubs. The nine blown saves are tied with the Miami Marlins and the Atlanta Braves as second most, behind only the Arizona Diamondbacks (13).

Soriano, 35, has 207 career saves in 13 seasons, including three 40-plus save seasons: 2012-13 with the Nationals and 2010 with the Tampa Bay Rays.

He has also pitched with the New York Yankees, Seattle and Atlanta. Unsigned this season he’ll throw for scouts in the Dominican Republic at an open workout.

Returning: Edwin Encarnacion, who had one pinch-hitting appearance during the three games in Washington (a walk), was in the lineup at DH after being sidelined with a hamstring issue. Encarnacion entered the game mired in a  1-for-24 slump (as his average tumbled from .241 to .216, its lowest since May 1). He lined out in the second and doubled in the third.
“I don’t know if [his hamstring] is 100%, but he’s good enough to play -- at least DH,” Gibbons said. 

Injury list: Anthopoulos said Castro, who left his May 29 start at Buffalo has a problem gripping the baseball between his thumb and an index finger.
“It’s similar to what he had last year,” Anthopoulos said. “The adjustment they’re going to make is how much he’ll grip things, weights, things like that, to not put more pressure on it overall.”

Opening eyes: Rising up draft boards is Oakville outfielder Myles Gordon of the Great Lake Canadians ... Brett Siddall, the son of Blue Jays broadcaster Joe Siddall and the MAAC conference player of the year for the Canisius College Golden Griffs, was at an open workout staged by the Detroit Tigers Friday at Comerica Park. Siddall is a junior and draft eligible. The annual three-day draft takes begins Monday night.

Briefly: On opening day for the rookie-class 2002 Burlington Indians, Ottawa’s T.J. Burton was on the mound. The next night Fausto Carmona pitched. It turned out Carmona was pitching under an assumed. The right-hander formerly known as Carmona started for the Houston Astros using his real name Roberto Hernandez as he has since 2012 Friday night. Burton is now the Blue Jays co-ordinator of amateur baseball, after pitching nine seasons in the minors.