Anibal Sanchez at loss for words after Phillies top Tigers 8-5
Right-hander surrenders six runs in six innings at Comerica Park, vows to find a way to get back on the right track
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez got past the sixth inning but continues to struggle facing hitters the third time through the order.
Sanchez gave up a three-run home run in the fourth inning to the Phillies’ Odubel Herrera and a solo home run to Peter Bourjos in the seventh inning.
The Tigers went on to lose, 8-5, on Wednesday afternoon at Comerica Park.
“I don’t know what I can say today,” Sanchez said.
He allowed six runs (three earned) on eight hits over six-plus innings. He allowed one walk and struck out five.
“I start the game out strong, put the ball down,” Sanchez said. “Same story. One inning. One pitch, two pitch. I don’t know.”
Sanchez was at a loss to explain why he’s continuing to struggle. He said “sooner or later” everything will come together.
“I don’t know when,” he said. “I don’t know what I have to do. But I’m going to find out what I have to do to be successful.”
Sanchez has pitched seven innings once this year and that was a 4-0 loss at Cleveland on May 4.
Tigers bench coach Gene Lamont said Sanchez was inconsistent. Lamont managed the Tigers and will do so again on Friday when the Tigers begin a West Coast road trip at Oakland.
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus learned Wednesday that his mother died. Lamont was already scheduled to manage the team Friday so Ausmus could attend the high school graduation of his oldest daughter, Sophie.
Lamont said Sanchez put together some good innings and looked like he was in a groove.
“Then he hung a pitch,” Lamont said. “We know how good of stuff he has. He just needs to put it together. For his confidence, he needs to put seven or eight good innings together and right now he hasn’t been able to do that.”
Lamont said he wanted Sanchez to pitch to Bourjos, a right-handed batter, in the seventh. Lamont was then going to make a pitching change with two left-handed hitters coming up.
It was the first home run Bourjos has hit this season.
“Just didn’t work out,” Lamont said. “I’m not sure what he hit, but it was a ball that Bourjos hit for a home run.”
Lamont acknowledged the sixth inning has been tough for Sanchez to get through. He failed to pitch past the sixth inning in six of his starts this season.
“We’re trying to just kind of ease him along and I’m sure Sanchy’s getting frustrated,” he said. “You can tell that. But it’s just something — if we didn’t know how good a pitcher he can be it’d be different. We know what he has in there.”
Lamont admitted he’s surprised the struggles have gone as long as they have for Sanchez.
Lamont referenced the 17-strikeout performance Sanchez had against the Braves on April 26, 2013, and said: “Overmatched them really. So I know how good he can be.”
The Tigers made a couple fielding errors before Sanchez gave up the two-out, three-run home run to Herrera in the fourth, which gave the Phillies a 5-1 lead.
“Sometimes unearned runs are deceptive,” Lamont said. “I’m sure (Sanchez) is kicking himself. He knows they’re unearned but he knows he threw a pitch that Herrera hit for a home run that we could have got out of that inning.”
Miguel Cabrera’s RBI single in the seventh cut the deficit to 7-5. With two on and two outs, Nick Castellanos wasn’t set in the box and took a called third strike on a quick pitch from Hector Neris.
Tigers reliever Alex Wilson gave up back-to-back doubles in the eighth as the Phillies took an 8-5 lead.
Steven Moya opened the bottom of the eighth with a triple on a line drive to right, but the Tigers failed to score.
Phillies right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola allowed four runs on seven hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out six.
Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple.
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