Rough day for Blue Jays
Sanchez shelled in return as Houston pounds Toronto 12-2
TORONTO — Aaron Sanchez’s return from a lengthy stint on the disabled list was short lived but some different calls from the home plate umpire may have made it a different story.
Sanchez gave up eight runs — five earned — on seven hits and walked four over 1 2/3 innings on Friday night as the Toronto Blue Jays fell 12-2 to the Houston Astros.
“I thought there were a lot of close calls out there,” Sanchez said. “You know me, I’m not one to complain about stuff, but when it happens over and over, it gets tiring. So I’ll leave it at that . . . . “Just one of those nights where things weren’t going my way.” The 25-year-old Sanchez has been hampered by right hand issues all season, most recently a blister on his middle finger which had kept him out since May 20.
Sanchez struggled with his command in the early going, walking one batter and throwing 22 pitches in the first inning alone.
Carlos Correa opened the scoring in the first with a two-run homer to deep centre-field — extending his hit streak to 15 games.
Walks continued to be an issue in the second and George Springer made Sanchez pay. He belted a pitch to right field for a three-run shot that extended Houston’s lead to 5-0.
An error by Troy Tulowitzki loaded the bases before two more runs came across on a groundout and single. Sanchez’s night ended after a two-out double from Evan Gattis made it 8-0.
“You make a mistake, they’re hitting it,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said. “But I don’t think it was as bad as his line looked because he was close.”
Sanchez entered the game with a 3.33 ERA in five starts but saw that balloon to 4.85 by the end of the night. He finished last season with the best earned-run average in the American League.
Springer finished the game 4 for 4 with five RBIs while belting his 26th and 27th home runs of the season for the Astros (59-28).
Houston starter Charlie Morton was solid in his own return from the disabled list, allowing one run on four hits over six innings and striking out three.
Judge hits 30th home run, breaks DiMaggio’s mark for Yankees’ rookies
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his 30th home run of the season on Friday night, breaking Joe DiMaggio’s record for most by a New York Yankees rookie.
Judge, who leads the majors in homers, reached the plateau in his 82nd game of the season. DiMaggio hit 29 home runs over 138 games in 1936, his first year in pinstripes, and went on to a Hall of Fame career.
The 6-foot-7, 282-pound Judge also joined Oakland slugger Mark McGwire as the only big league rookies to hit 30 homers before the All-Star break. McGwire had 33 home runs at the break in 1987. The Yankees went on to lose 9-4 on Friday.