Whether the issue is physical, mechanical or merely the result of poor performance, something's amiss with Detroit Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez.
A scout told me recently that Sanchez's pitches have lacked finish this season. Now, major-league hitters are confirming it.
Consider the following:
* In 2013, Sanchez allowed the fewest home runs per nine innings (0.4) of any qualifying American League pitcher.
* Over the 2013 and 2014 seasons, Sanchez's 13 home runs allowed were the fewest of any major leaguer who threw at least 300 innings. (In fact, only Clayton Kershaw and Garrett Richards allowed 20 or fewer homers over 300+ innings during that span.)
* Now? Including Tuesday's loss to the Brewers, Sanchez has allowed as many home runs (nine) in 54 2/3 innings this season as he did in all of 2013, when he threw 182 innings and won the AL ERA title.
What's the root cause of the problem? I'm not sure. The Tigers, for their part, do not believe Sanchez is injured. “He says he feels great and his stuff has been good, but not located consistently well,” Dave Dombrowski, the club’s president and general manager, told me Wednesday. Yet, the numbers are alarming all by themselves.
