Sanchez silences league-best Astros
GM Anthopoulos admits search for bullpen help
The Blue Jays’ goal of getting to the top of a still-up-for-grabs American League East Division seems short one detail.
Their starting pitching and hitting appear to be in sync now, as Friday’s 6-2 win over Houston suggested. Starter Aaron Sanchez spun an eight-inning gem before struggling to open the ninth and the offence exploded for five runs in the third inning, including homers by the two Joses, Reyes and Bautista.
Chris Colabello, meanwhile, extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a 3-for-4 night that hiked his average to .366, and Josh Donaldson had a single to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
The big question mark remains the bullpen, and it was no surprise when general manager Alex Anthopoulos admitted Friday that he is looking to upgrade there, including possible discussions with free-agent veteran closer Rafael Soriano.
“I think it’s fair to say . . . (Soriano) is someone we’ll look into,” Anthopoulos said.
And if talks with Soriano don’t pan out, Anthopoulos still has catcher Dioner Navarro as a potential trade piece. The buzz around the Jays is bringing life to a former rumour linking Toronto to Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon, and the team is also said to be looking at adding a front-end starter
“We’re engaging in (trade) talks,” Anthopoulos said, “and I’m not fore- shadowing anything getting done, and probably nothing moves now until after the draft (which begins Tuesday).”
That lingering bullpen issue — Toronto has not registered a save since May 4, a span of 30 games now — hovered in the background Friday as Sanchez mastered the league-leading Astros on just three hits over eight innings, and six overall before being pulled from the game in the ninth.
Those first three hits were merely singles, and thanks to a pair of double plays, Sanchez faced one batter over the minimum 24 through eight innings. He couldn’t get an out in the ninth, though, allowing a leadoff homer to Jason Castro and a pair of singles before manager John Gibbons pulled him from the game. Roberto Osuna struck out the next three batters on 11 pitches.
“The more and more I’m out there, it gets exciting for me when it comes together,” said Sanchez, who was greeted by his best friend, injured pitcher Marcus Stroman, who is in town for the weekend.
Toronto starters have now worked at least six innings in14 of their last16 starts. Their 1141⁄ innings pitched is
3 the third best mark in the league over that span.
Toronto, though, has crawled along in third and fourth place in the East, with a record in close games that is tied in part to an under-performing bullpen. Amazingly, the Jays’ run differential entering the night ranked fifth in the league at plus-35, but the club is 3-12 in one run games, and 3-6 in two-run games.
Anthopoulos did not deny the rumors linking Toronto to Soriano, and the Jays now join a group of three teams — the Cubs and the Cardinals are the others — with reported interest in the 35-year old, who has been a closer with Atlanta, Tampa Bay, the Yankees and Washington.
Soriano spent the last two seasons with the Nationals, compiling a 3.15 ERA with 75 saves in 132 games. He has 207 saves in a 13-year career.